Yu Kitchen, Chadstone MELB

As the situation of COVID-19 worsens day by day, be it from panic buying to travel bans in place, it is only imperative to keep supporting each other and the local economy (not by panic buying tho!).

Many Asian establishments have been alienated in the process and unfortunately, this resulted in job losses and restaurant closures which makes it all the more important to reconsider avoiding places unnecessarily.

Located above Calia, this restaurant is currently offering a lobster banquet for 4, of which, the sister was extremely keen to try. Priced at $198, we thought the it was reasonably priced albeit portion wise, it is probably more suited for 3 individuals.

 Double boiled winter melon pork rib soup - flavourful and well seasoned.

 Lobster wok tossed with ginger and onion noodle - the highlight of the entire menu. Well presented and adequately prepared.

 Special fried rice - am a big fan of fried rice and loved this dish. Who knew the addition of tiny tobiko eggs would make the dish more flavourful.

 Wok tossed chicken with wild mushrooms and water chestnuts in black truffle - sceptical about the addition of black truffle but was impressed at how fragrant the dish was. Am a big fan of mushroom dishes and this was no exception. Chicken bits were well marinated, juicy and perfectly coated with the black truffle sauce.

 Wok tossed seasonal vegetables - nothing wrong with a bit of fibre in the diet!

Mango and chia seed pudding - not sure if this was a pudding as it tasted more like a sweet dessert soup, popular among Chinese restaurants. Having said that, kudos to the extra effort taken with cubing the honeydew(?). Not overly sweet and very refreshing.

Piggery Cafe, Kallista MELB

Seeing as a long weekend was ahead of us, we decided on walking along the 1000 steps pathway located in Dandenong. On the way there, we found out that JB isn't quite ready yet to exit his house and so, the two of us, being hungry as always, decided to drop by a nearby cafe.

Piggery has been quite highly rated thus far and I can see why. The cafe is surrounded by lush greeny and ample of room for both kids and adult to roam around.

Coffee - I found it a tad weak and would recommend a cappuccino or espresso for those wanting a stronger kick of caffeine to kick start their day.

Scrambled eggs - nicely scrambled altho a little too salty. Good amount of chilli folded into it but nonetheless, a tasty afternoon treat for us.

Half chicken - Chicken is my staple at home and one that I would not order at a restaurant nor cafe because I am secretly sick of it haha. Having said that, we thoroughly enjoyed this dish thanks to its smoky, grilled aroma. Very tender and juicy chicken too it was!

Shanghai Red, Chadstone MELB

A very late Chinese New Year dinner with the potato pal and rather impromptu too. I vaguely recalled having weak arms post weight lifting at the gym and was in need of some sugar asap else my arms will be the root of my grief over the coming days.

After a change of initial plans, we dropped by a new-ish Chinese restaurant in Chadstone and as usual, went amok ordering whatever caught our eyes.

Crab roe and soft tofu stew - an interesting dish that undoubtedly has to go with a steaming bowl of jasmine rice. Tasty it was although at times, the dish had a gloopy texture to it, usually from the addition of cornstarch.

Xiao long bao - no strange to the dumpling scene, this is something that I would like to sample at every dumpling restaurant, if conditions permit :p Well seasoned and filled with delicious broth. A must eat when served hot.

Crispy king prawns tossed in salted egg yolk glace - a really yummy dish despite having a thick outer coating. As per usual, goes well with rice to subdue the saltiness from the salted egg yolk.

Anada, Fitzroy MELB

At one of the casual pharmacy stints that I have worked at, I stumbled upon a fellow foodie who recommended this restaurant to me. Curiousity got the better of me and it did not take long before we made our way here.

Service was top notch in every aspect and ambience wise, I found it soothing and easy to communicate with my partner at the table.

Mushroom croqueta, queso Urgelia and truffle - a little disappointed with the portion size here as it was rather small for $5 per piece. The sister ate at this restaurant a few weeks before and upon comparing photos, the difference was far from marginal. Delicious nonetheless but would reconsider before reordering.

Grilled sardines, shallots, preserved lemon, olive and aioli - I like grilled sardine dishes and was quite fond of this dish. Flavours were balanced and the saltiness from the fish complemented the aioli's creaminess.

Seafood paella, octopus, calamari, mussels and blue grenadier - A yummy dish and one that I would have liked more of. There is something magical about the contrasting textures of warm, soft grains of rice against a thin bed of crunchy fried rice.

Stuffed lamb cutlet, smoky eggplant and seeds - another dish that I thoroughly enjoyed and one that I would have liked more of. Meat was juicy and well marinated, pairing well with the smokiness of the eggplant puree.

Can't recall the name of this dish but it was akin a solid form of pudding. Tasty and not overly sweet.