Pie Face, CBD MELB

A random detour post-work as I was feeling extremely peckish and felt the need to reward myself especially after such a long week's shift of 9 to 10 hours on my toes.

I initially planned on just having a sausage roll but the poor shop assistant may have heard me incorrectly and picked the wrong one. To save him the hassle of unpacking, I merely asked him to add the one I wanted on top of that order.

One was a beef sausage roll and the other must be, I believe, a plain pork sausage roll. Wouldn't say the filling wowed me in any way and felt as though there were more fillers in it as compared to real meat.

Both sausage rolls tasted pretty similar and I suspect, the same filling was probably used in both situations.

Fried beehoon recipe

One of the first few dishes I have made growing up and one of the few that I saw myself cooking at least once a month after school hours. Not the fanciest nor tastiest dish I have made but somewhat satisfying to concoct from a 12 year old's perspective.

Ingredients:
A packet of beehoon noodles, soaked until softened
A few cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp dried shrimps
Chicken thigh/ breast fillets, marinated in soy sauce overnight
Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite sized pieces

1. Saute garlic until fragrant before tossing in chicken and dried shrimps, further cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 a cup of chicken broth and incorporate chinese cabbage. Leave to cook until veggies are almost translucent in colour.
3. Toss in noodles and quickly add dark caramel soy sauce, kecap manis and pepper to taste. Gently stir noodles until it is evenly coated in the dark sauce and has an even distribution of chicken and cabbage.
4. Garnish with thinly/ thickly sliced egg omelette.

Kung Fu Burger, South Yarra MELB

I have been indulging in a few burgers this year, possibly on a monthly basis. Not a habit that I would actively promote (not one that I do honestly regret:p) but it did give me a chance to sample some unforgettable versions around Melbourne's eastern suburbs which saw me coming back for seconds.

Kung fu burgers are the new kids on the busy Chapel Street, having opened it's doors to the public for almost two months now. Almost every item on the menu has a distinct Asian charm infused into it be it in the form of the toppings added onto the chips or the sauce used to dress each burger.

 So how did the guys behind this burger joint performed?

Nutella & Oreo milkshake - I loved how this was not overly sweet nor was it overly thick in terms of consistency. Often times, the amount of sugar added can mask the overall flavour and one slurp is more than enough to put me off. Am a big fan of cookie crumbs on my food/drinks and this cup gets the thumbs up from me.

Oh Crab! - tempura soft shell crab, wasabi mayo, tomato and lettuce. Very rarely do I reach out for seafood and strangely enough, I tend to order seafood types of burgers when I crave for burgers. Soft shell crab was crisp, juicy and most importantly, not dripping in oil from the deep frying process. The wasabi mayo may sound intimidating but it was mild enough to not leave tears streaming down my face.

Bruce's chips - I have had quite a few different types of loaded chips before and this beats all of them hands down. Topped with a generous serve of pulled pork, jalapeno, sriracha mayo, spring onion and bonito flakes, I happily finished most of this myself. A good combination of savoury, sour and sweet flavours intertwined together. Again, plus points for not being soaked/ dripping in oil.

Jumbo Aussie rule - WL is a fan of beef burgers and he was quick to note that the aroma from frying the beef patties were different compared to other establishments, a sign of different marinades used in the beef mince. Juicy, moorish and picturesque, it ticked all the boxes on what makes a good classic, no frills burger.

Because I liked the Bruce's chips a lot, here is a bonus picture of it if the previous one was not enough to tempt you;)

Many thanks to the team at Kung Fu Burger for having me and for those interested, these guys do UberEats, Foodora and if you are nearby the area on a late Friday or Saturday night, be sure to popped by to get your fix here.

Darac Grill & Bar, CBD MELB

I have been so occupied with work lately that I hardly utilize my DSLR camera much when I go out to dine. A shame because iphone's camera does not do the food/scenery justice despite it being one of the better camera phones in the market. I must try to bring my old companion out again, just like good times.

Catching up with AY is like meeting a long lost friend and we were not short of topics to ramble upon despite being served food right in the middle of us. Having been here once before on a meh experience (soju shots are not for the faint hearted), I wanted to try this place out again as I knew food here was decent tasting an the environment is rather accommodating.

Lemon lime bitters - for the faint hearted like me.

Seafood army stew - copious amount and variety of ingredients neatly arranged around the pot that slowly bubbled away with the heat from the portable stove. Both of us can handle spicy food and found this to be spicy, more so after the broth thickens into a creamy, red consistency. A fun dish to share with your companions (who are, hopefully, not vegetarians)

Beef japchae - I liked how this came served with plenty of the meaty sauce that oozed out of the cooked beef, a sign that the noodles will soon enough absorb back all the delicious juices and stay plump, for my satisfaction:) Wouldn't mind having this again on my next visit.

Dandenong Pavilion, Dandenong MELB

A little treat for the sister's birthday, chosen by yours truly. Bookings are advisable as this place can get pretty packed and I would have kicked myself if I had drove all the way here only to be turned away.

Service is efficient and friendly, always a pleasant gesture that enlightens the mood despite the havoc that could be happening in the kitchen. For a Thursday night, this place was fulled packed with hungry diners.

There's no secret that we are here for their secret burger menu. Loved how they have a regular menu for those wanting to choose from classic dishes like pasta, fish and chips or roast meat. We opted for a taste of their burgers from their secret menu. At $22.50, each burger comes served with a small cup of fries. Beef patties were juicy and cooked medium. As for the toppings on the burger, one can opt for a more hearty mix of cheese, bacon and mac and cheese croquette or a simplified Asian inspired version that comes with sriracha sauce or tempura fried soft shell crabs.

The brother opted for chicken parmigiana which also comes with a serve of fries and salad. Would have liked it to be a little more crisp around the edges but nevertheless, still fulfilling.

Orange chicken recipe

Another day in the kitchen but more importantly, another way to try to improve on a recipe:) This is a simple recipe that is popular at most Chinese restaurants and is secretly very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp garlic chilli sauce
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp cornstarch

1. Cut chicken breast/ thigh fillets into slightly bigger than bite sized pieces, marinate overnight with soy sauce, pepper and chinese cooking wine.
2. Dust chicken pieces with plain flour and deep fry. Alternatively, you could coat them with panko crumbs and bake in an oven until done.
3. Cook the listed ingredients above in a saucepan over medium heat until the sauce is slightly thickened. This may take around 3-5 minutes. Add cornstarch and stir until the sauce is appropriately thickened.
4. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice. Feel free to sprinkle a bit of sesame seeds on them too, for aesthetic purposes;)

Blackball, CBD MELB

Working late meant that I should "ideally" treat myself to a warm cup of tea or coffee that will fuel me until the end of my shift. Having brought in a cup of bubble tea from Chatime one day, a colleague commented that she preferred the bubble teas from Blackball which then stirred my curiousity.

As a once off, I treated myself to a cup of bubble tea post work and was impressed at how flavourful it was aka right depth of infused tea and perfect amount of sweetness. Moving forth, I dragged my siblings here after dinner.

Pudding, potato cubes and a whole lot of jellies over crushed ice - the non-sugarholic siblings liked this dish and so did I. Every single ingredient had it's own unique personality which made it fun to mix and match each of them before downing a spoonful of it. If you have not tried Asian desserts before, this may be a good stepping stone. Would like to have more but I shall practice restraint here.

Waffle with vanilla ice cream - the highlight of the night was this little gem. Brimming with the freshly baked aroma of butter intertwined with flour, each mouthful of it filled us with satisfaction, more so when it is excessively covered by honey. Will look into getting takeaways of it next time - 2 for $5 :p

Mr.Ramen San, CBD MELB

When the sister decides on joining me for dinner, it is almost inevitable that we would be choosing quality over quantity, as opposed to what my brother would agree on. After a long day at work, it is comforting to unwind at a peaceful area untainted by the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Spicy beef ramen - costing slightly more than the other bowls of ramen, I actually liked how concentrated and flavourful the broth was. Small portion of meat served but it was heavily dosed with flavour and has a delightfully soft texture. Can't say I am a big fan of corn being served in the same bowl but I'd still consume it with spoonfuls of broth.

Charsu ramen - the usual culprit, a popular item in many ramen eateries. Broth is lighter in terms of flavour compared to the beef version although still boosting a good depth of aroma in it.  I love how chewy the ramen noodles were prepared, a good levy for when you want to take a break from eating, else the noodles may have turn soggy.

Spicy pork bulgogi and stirfry beef with gai lan recipe

Maintaining the experimental momentum and being clueless as to what to do with the remaining gochujang sitting in the fridge, I stumbled upon a spicy pork bulgogi recipe via Maangchi. Without further delay, I then found myself heading into the butcher, asking for a decent cut of pork neck to be sliced as thin as possible.

I have marinated the meat for a few days and have adjusted the proportion of each individual ingredient to my liking:)

Ingredients:
1 apple, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
3 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
A pinch of pepper
1kg pork neck, thinly sliced

1. Blitz all the above ingredients in a food processor until it appears to have sauce like consistency.
2. Mix with the wet ingredients and massage into the meat pieces. Allow to marinade for at least a day.
3. Fry the marinated pork in a pan until cooked, serve garnished with spring onions and a bowl of steamed rice.

On a separate note, have also made a simple stir fry beef with gai lan dish, prepared in 15 minutes:)

Ingredients:
Rump beef, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of ginger minced
Gai lan, cut into easy to eat sized and lightly blanched
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce

1. Quickly fry beef for about 30 seconds on medium heat and set aside.
2. Fry garlic and ginger until it is golden brown in colour before tossing in beef pieces.
3. Add oyster and soy sauce and continue to stir for about a minute before tossing in gai lan.
4. Allow an additional 2 minutes of cooking time before serving with steamed rice.

The Dessert Kitchen, CBD MELB

An impromptu meeting after work and because of it was a bit late for dinner, dessert sounded like a good idea. Can be a little crowded during peak trading hours but overall, staff were accommodating and service is rather efficient.

Mango shaved ice - verging on the pricier side of the spectrum, flavours were decent although I was not entirely wowed by it. False expectations on my behalf, maybe. Shaved ice was smooth although mango pieces tasted akin their canned versions.

Ice stream ramen - intrigued by the sea blue coloured and at the translucency of each jelly strand, I was expecting the dish to amaze me, especially when it came served with a small side of syrup to drizzle over it. Reminded me of something I ate in Kyoto although not exactly the same.