Little Rogue, CBD MELB

After my recent trip to Japan, I have been converted into an avid matcha fan and am seeking new ways or places to get my fix satisfied. Upon stumbling at a friend's Instagram post, I bookmarked Little Rogue on my little notebook of new places to try and managed to pop by one weekend.

There is not much seating place here and can possibly squeeze in about 10 individuals at most. We were lucky enough to secure a couple of comfortable seats by the window. My matcha latte had a good amount of frothing on top and presentation reminded me of a similar experience in Japan. The companion ordered an iced matcha.

Both drinks did not disappoint - we loved the intense matcha flavour incorporated into our beverages and I suspect, good quality matcha powder has been used to craft each drink. Highly recommended if you love matcha as much as I do:)

Oh and did I mention we ordered seconds? Both of us brought reading materials along and were engrossed onto what we were reading. Sunday well spent I daresay.

 

Mocha Jo's Burger Bar, Glen Waverley MELB

As we slowly creep into spring, the weather is becoming increasingly pleasant; almost too good to believe that us Melbournians have endured a good two months of bitter cold nights. Striking whilst the iron is hot, last Saturday was a good time to bask in some sun light despite the occasional chilly breeze that seeps through every so often.

The menu is not extensive but I did struggle to pick THE one because just about 80% of the menu appealed to me. After contemplating for a good 5 minutes, our order was placed and we patiently await our meal.

Only downside was the guy who took our order wasn't exactly friendly or feeling chirpy, not entirely sure why? No smiles and just the slightest eye contact. Had to raise my voice a lot because he was too far away, both in counter height and distance and made no attempt to try at all:/

Chips - I am unfortunately, very much addicted to anything made of potatoes. Two thumbs up from me for a balanced amount of seasoning coating the crispy chips.

The Texan - wagyu beef patty, cheese, lettuce, onion rings, jack daniel's bbq sauce, fried jalapenos, tomato, bacon, pickles and mayo. From the picture below, you may be able to estimate the size of this burger, made taller by the incorporation of fresh ingredients. The lettuce leaf had no discolouration nor was it miserably limping but rather, it was fresh and still crisp to bite.

Do note - this is a very juicy burger and best consumed soonest possible else you end up with a soggy burger.

The souther cali - double fried chicken, cheese, lettuce, bacon jam, chipotle mayo and tomato. Decided to be creative and make this a foodpornographic shot. I think I did the burger justice, no? Loved how the chicken was still moist and had a good size to it. Not a big fan of stingy cuts of protein in my burger and I can vouch for this one to be legit!

Overall, very impressed by the quality and construction of each burger. Would like to see more seating area for patrons but maybe in the future?

Current status? Drooling as I pen my thoughts.

 

Spicy Fish, CBD MELB

The cold weather has once again struck Melbourne with it's deceivingly sunny but rainy days. I much prefer winter to summer mostly because when the temperature drops, I can feast on spicy food to keep me warmed!

Early Sunday dinner which meant no bumping into long queues of customers and food arrived at our table 10 minutes after placing our orders.

String beans with minced pork and black bean sauce - I was a bit disappointed with this dish as it was quite salty to the point where my lips began to crack and turned into a light pink shade. This is my body's defense mechanism against food with high salt content and so, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. And I dislike wasting food too:(

Fish fillets in chilli oil - their signature dish which came out of the kitchen lukewarm. Generous amount of fish fillet served although the chilli oil needed a little more oomph from under-utilizing those fiery Sichuan peppercorns.

Salt and pepper deep fried soft shell crab - I love soft shell crabs and wanted to fall heads over heels with this dish. Unfortunately, I found it too salty to my liking and am also not a fan of it coming out lukewarm from the kitchen. Tasty dish and could do much better with some minor tweakings.

Corlam Kitchen, Glen Waverley MELB

Last Wednesday had to be the worst day in 2016 for me on various accounts. Call it back luck if you may and when things turn sour, I tend to crave for a hearty meal that can instantly, yet temporarily, take my mind aboard a mini holiday. Similar to binge eating but not to the same extent I suppose:p

Weather was dark and gloomy, impelling me to steer clear from getting behind the wheel. Decided on a short walk up the road towards the row of restaurants/ cafes located along Blackburn road. Studied the menu, placed our orders and resisted the temptation to order too much.

Rice with 2 meat and 1 veggie - for $10, this filled me up pretty well. There were about 3 different types of vegetarians curries and about 5 protein packed curry variations. Each curry had its own distinct flavour and was not too spicy to my liking.

Currypuff - a little soft in my opinion but perhaps because it may have been prepared early in the day. Nevertheless, still a tasty little treat to kick start the meal with.

Hoppers - I find that trying out something new, be it a hobby or edible item, indirectly lifts up my mood. Never had hoppers before and found it a very interesting dish, for the fact that it's akin a really fluffy piece of roti, heavily infused with coconut cream.

Oh and comes with a serve of curry too:)

Roti with lamb curry - at this stage, it was more likely that both of us were binge eating after a horrible day. This roti was let down by the lack of crispiness but on the flip side, it is a pretty big piece of roti that would suffice me for 2 meals.

Roti bom - generously dosed with condensed milk, coated with sugar and topped with butter, we found this a little too sweet and textually thick. Still managed to finish every last crumb on the plate but may have to consider saving more tummy room in the future.

Burger Project, CBD MELB

Steadily growing due to popular demand, burger joints are beginning to take the spotlight in the hangout zone aka ideal places to chill with friends. The newest addition to Melbourne's burger scene would be Burger Project, located in the newly established shopping mall on Collins street.

As the mall is fairly new, there are only a handful of eateries opened for business, as we observed as we made our way towards the soon to be food floor. Plenty of seating area to choose from, be it indoors or outdoors.

Spicy fried chicken katsu - crumbed and subsequently fried chicken breast topped with chilli, coleslaw, pickles, lettuce and katsu sauce. The finely chopped red chilli blend reminded me of the chilli sauce that we Malaysians commonly associate with our local hawker's chicken rice.

Large chips - crisp and warm to touch, I found it a bit too salty to my liking. I am, unfortunately, very sensitive towards food that contains a lot of salt and often enough, end up gulping large quantities of water afterwards. Perhaps I will opt for no salt in the future:)

Cheese and bacon - beef patty, bacon, cheese, onions, pickles, tomato and lettuce. Beef patty was prepared medium to well done and was juicy to taste. Bacon pieces were a little too dry and hard to my liking. While I won't say it's one of the best burgers that I have sunk my teeth into, it was still a decent feed.

Strawberry shake - pretty decent and thankfully, not too sweet.

Hoa Tran, Springvale MELB

One of the few blog posts that is not entirely justified with the pictures attached - I do have a few random moments whereby I leave the house with just my wallet, house keys and my phone which means that photos taken may not be droolworthy as it is highly dependent on the lighting available.

After slipping around a few building blocks in Springvale, we arrived here which was already packed with customers at 6.30pm and continued to be streamed by customers until about 8pm. Service is efficient and in terms of pricing, I daresay its affordable:)

Combination broken rice - always one of my favourite dishes and best enjoyed with a crunchy, yet juicy piece of pork cutlet, sunny side up egg and a serve of pickles to freshen up one's palate.

Dry egg noodles with pork - egg noodles were freshly prepared and pork pieces were bordering on the neutral tasting side of the scale but flavour was elevated with a dollop of chilli sauce.

Durian smoothie and three bean drink - another one of my favourite drink combinations. Three bean drink can be filling as it has coconut milk incorporated in it so be wary that you do not go ahead and order heaps of food else might need a takeaway container;)

Jamface by Poh, CBD ADL

Having spent a few days in Adelaide, I was able to not only catch up with family but also treat my senses to new eateries that I have yet to explore. I am sure most of us would be familiar with the jovial Malaysian amateur cook from the first season of Masterchef who had been gracing food magazines and television series - she finally has a shop in the central market which operates on most days! She does have a stall at the Adelaide showground's sunday market but that's a little out of my reach at times.

Whilst we were not lucky enough to spot here, we were equally excited at all the delectable treats on display. Service was a little frazzled as it was lunch time but still attentive nonetheless.

Beef pie - I absolutely loved this pastry that had been heavily perfumed with butter. Only downside for me was that the beef filling was a little dry but then again, probably to prevent the pastry from getting too soggy. A great little one nonetheless and one that I would happily have on a cold day.

Quiche with salad - The quiche was beautifully made but the real highlight for me would be the salad. I love a good salad that had been generously dressed and accompanied by an assortment of textures and flavours. The pumpkin bits had been nicely roasted and give a good dose of olive oil. Amazing and a must try.

Chai brulee tart - Again, Poh amazed us by her pastry dexterity and we loved this chai infused custard tart. Smooth textured with a lovely caramelization on the top, a perfect treat to sweeten up our day.

Billy's Kitchen, Wantirna MELB

In an attempt to locate a suitable place for a work event, I chanced upon the Knox O-zone, it being conveniently located not too far away for everyone involved. I love how the walkways are spacious and restaurant signage is visible - very important aspects for a wanderer like myself.

Decided to walk into Billy's Kitchen and was wow-ed by its interior and how easy it was to carry out a conversation without having to raise one's voice. Also spotted a wine cabinet that I would have liked to stare at if only I was seated much nearer to it.

Staff were very friendly and attentive - not difficult at all to get one's attention.

Pulled pork pizza - Being fond of bread like textures, I actually liked this pizza base's thick and yet fluffy layer. Would have liked a bit more topping on it tho..

Chicken caesar salad - the chicken had been marinated in a spicy mix and grilled upon order. Reminded me of a tandoori styled chicken which is not commonly associated with a caesar salad. Salad leafs were crisp and well dressed.

Europe: 24 hours in Bern, SWITZ

The sister anticipated us being exhausted after more than 7 weeks of travelling around Europe and so, had planned for our trip in Switzerland as a relaxed one to recuperate ourselves. We missed out on seeing the Swiss Alps and instead, decided on a leisurely Bern day.

After a good 12 hours of sleep, we headed out to Einstein's cafe for breakfast, which reminded me of Melbourne's growing coffee/ hipster culture. The sister was keen on bircher muesli aka overnight oats whilst I fancied an apple cake.

As we filled our tummies, we also spent some time browsing through tourist pamphlets obtained from the information centre. Loved how fresh the dairy products are here and how my worries were gone at that moment.

After breakfast, we strolled around barenplatz, admiring Bern's intricate infrastructure line that seems to be a jumbled mess although not quite really.

I can imagine a life up here, away from the hustle and bustle of a city, and best part would be being able to run around exploring new grounds to my heart's content. Snacking became our ritual for trying out items that catches our eye and so, here's proof in the form of artisan milk chocolates.

For dinner, we visited Restaurant Anker for some cheesy goodness. Love or loathe it, this one is probably something not local that every tourists may want to consider trying.

As a precautionary, food prices are much more expensive in Switzerland as compared to other European countries so don't faint when you see the menu. This bowl of molten cheese costs us CHF26.50 / $aud36. It was rich and hence, filling but not sure if it's something I will have again on subsequent trips.

We also ordered a beer to share and a plate of potatoes drenched in more cheese. Not too sure what inspired us to order this dish but hey, at least we were having a good time giggling the day away.