Son of Tucci, Mt. Waverley MELB

Having lived in my suburb for more than 3 years now, I have yet to explore all the surrounding cafes and restaurants although I do make a conscious effort to do so before I relocate myself once more. Son of Tucci has been on my list of to eat places and after completing a few errands, I drove the sister and I over.

Not surprisingly, there is a short queue and luckily for us, we did not have to wait too long to be seated.

Brekkie tasting platter - consisting of sticky date waffle, honey pear, vanilla custard and peanut brittle; sriracha maple bacon, smashed avocado and poached egg; ad zucchini, corn and quinoa fritter with tomato and chilli jam, spiced popcorn and kale. Waffle was by far the best item on the platter. 

The addictive buttery scent from a freshly toasted waffle always scores bonus points in my books. Kudos to pairing it well with different textures from the pear, custard and brittle. Another winner in my books in the maple bacon, can't fault a good quality bacon nor the strangely enticing salty-sweet concoction. Only downside to this dish is the portion size, not for a big eater.

Baked eggs - spicy middle eastern tomato sauce, poached eggs, chorizon dukkah and goat curd with sourdough toast. This would have been the perfect item to order a gloomy, wet day as opposed to a sunny, bright day. I found this to be a little spicy so be warned. Probably one of my favourite baked egg dish in Melbourne as every item balanced well on the palate and it felt generous and cozy.

We bought two mini cakes to snack on later the day, one being a pistachio berry cake and the other, a passionfruit lemon curd version. Cakes were not overly sweet, generously packed with flavour and had the right ratio of frosting on it. Now, if only I took home more...

Oriental Spoon, CBD MELB

Past couple of weeks saw me engulfed in work on a consistent basis and when I had time to spare, it was mostly used for sleeping/ recovery purposes. Committing to a 9.5 hour late shift for almost a week made me appreciate my days off all the more and I am glad to finally be back to a somewhat regular routine with no late shifts until further notice.

And that was me expressing my bittersweet month of May. Breezed through it and not long more to go until D-day! Am also very grateful for eat-out days that never fails to perk my curiosity on the various cuisines that us Melbournians are blessed with.

Having been here once with a friend,, both of us were not able to sample the entire menu and so, this time round, I am dining with a mob of people who, although are not big eaters, but at least I get to sample a broader variety of food.

Seafood pancake - I love Korean pancakes and found this delicious although could be better if it was slightly more crisp on the exterior and if there's a tad more seafood pieces in it.

Beef japchae - delicious and an excellent way to load your palate with veggies.

Soy sauce and original fried chicken - just about everyone has jumped on the Korean fried chicken bandwagon and it was no exception here. Chicken pieces were crunchy and still juicy in the centre. I do have a tendency for the saucier versions but still found this pretty darn good and would happily come back for more.

Sensory Lab, CBD MELB

Mondays can be such a drag, knowing that the week would be challenging and potentially taxing considering the amount of late shifts I have lined up for the week. Which brings us to my dependence on caffeine as a mood lifter when the need for brain power kicks in.

The aroma of freshly roasted and grounded coffee appeases me in the wake of the rush hour despite the frequent whiff of exhaust fumes from vehicles bypassing the narrow Little Collins street. Muffed in my sweater, I made my order at the counter and stole a few glances at the rather tempting plate of glistening, golden pastries that heavily reminded me of my travelling days in Paris.

Soon after, the barista called out my name, albeit incorrectly, and I was greeted by a cup of warm latte, warming my cold fingers as I made my way into work. Just what I needed to start another week solving mysteries in the chemist.

 

New Royal Garden, Mount Waverley MELB

Cannot remember when was the last time I had yum cha but yesterday proofed to be one of those days where it was quintessential to, with a cup of hot tea on hand. Having never been here before, I booked a few days in advance. However, for those who prefer walk-ins, the waiting time is not long.

Service is efficient although I do personally think that there is less variety here compared to other establishments. Overall fare tasted standard to me, bonus points for not feeling the need to rush to finish whilst dining.

Hainanese chicken rice sauce recipes

I have attempted to make Hainanese chicken rice many times before and with every trial, I seem to be getting closer to unlocking the secret of making THE ultimate homemade version. The chilli and spring onion/ginger sauce in this recipe is spot on whilst the rice is a good alternative to the oilier version served at restaurants.

Have still yet to master the cooking the chicken to perfection and until then, I shall not publish a recipe. For those unfamiliar, the chicken can be easily prepared by simmering it for about 10 minutes in gently bubbling chicken broth before leaving it for an extra 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Cooked chicken is then plunged into an ice bath and heavily lashed with a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil for that glistening appeal.

The size of the chicken does matter when cooking and so does the temperature. You may cheat a little with bland tasting chicken broth but stuffing the chicken with ginger, garlic and pandan leaves is essential for that extra bit of fragrant aroma coming from the chicken meat. Am still experimenting with the poaching element of this dish!

Chilli dipping sauce recipe:
90g red chillies
15g garlic
40g ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
10ml of chicken broth
Juice from half a lime

1. Mince all the ingredients together before adding salt, sugar, chicken broth and lime juice. Adjust taste to your preference.

Personally, I like my dipping sauce to be less diluted than the ones you get from the hawker stalls. However, you can water this sauce down by adding more stock and adjusting to taste accordingly.


Spring onion and ginger oil recipe:
100g ginger
4 stalks of spring onions
2 tbsp chicken oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

1. Mince the ginger and spring onion together before adding the oils and the seasoning. Adjust to taste.