Laurent Boulangerie Patisserie, Malvern East MELB

Table for one - a term I have familiarized myself with these days and one that I find much enjoyment in for catching up on my reading. Laurent boulangerie has been around Melbourne since my first visit here 6 years ago and probably had expanded itself since then.

Service is efficient and friendly, seating aplenty especially after the lunch rush hour. Too many tempting items on display, ranging from sweet cakes to slices of sandwiches filled with an assortment of meat and vegetables.

Pulled pork with coleslaw and tomato relish - I like how staff would warm it up for diners and yes, nothing can beat the feeling of sinking one's teeth into a hearty sandwich. Pulled pork was slightly dry but this was balanced out by the relish and coleslaw. A little messy to eat with cutlery tho!

Cappucino - a good cuppa to relax with whilst people watching or in my case, reading magazines.

So Pho So Good, Glen Iris MELB

Feeding myself with fresh and nutritious food is utmost important to me lately and often times, hard to accomplish when dining outside, especially non-salad friendly restaurants or cafes. So Pho So Good's owner Leo takes great pride in ensuring that his food is made without added preservatives and flavouring, a feat and claim that is hard to match these days.

The shop's interior,from the floors to the tablets and walls are kept tidy and cleaned on a regular basis. Something about this place gave me a sense of relaxation.

Nuoc da chanh - homemade Vietnamese iced lemonade. A refreshing number that has a good punch of acidity.

Fresh whole coconut - what's not to love about the health benefits from slurping up coconut juice?

Bo tai chanh aka rare beef salad - Although labelled as rare, the meat was a cross between rare and medium. Absolutely loved how fresh this dish was, every single ingredient still had a lovely crunch and vibrancy to it. Highly recommended.

Broken rice with lemongrass beef - one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes and this was recommended by Leo after knowing how much we loved broken rice dishes. The meat was tender and heavily perfumed by the lemongrass, something I have never had before. Best part was the chicken broth that we ordered along with it. It was very flavourful, rich and most importantly, not lashed with MSG. Broth dishes here are a must have and I can safely say yes, you can slurp up every single drop of broth.

Vietnamese banana ice cream - a traditional snack that Leo grew up with. Banana, chopped nuts and coconut cream are the core ingredients here. A light snack and perfect way to end a delicious meal.

 

Product review: ProChef butter flavour spray

Being on a healthy food kick, I try to avoid or reduce using oil, sugar and salt in my cooking but often times, this is almost impossible to achieve without resorting to boiling the ingredients in a pot of water.

I can eliminate the need for sugar and salt in my food, not oil as it prevents whatever I am cooking from getting burnt at the bottom, resulting in unnecessary cleaning afterwards. A representative from ProChef had kindly mailed me a couple of butter flavoured canola oil cans to try out at home which I have been using ever since.

For a start, excessive usage of oil can be avoided as one pump is sufficient to cover the base of a medium sized pan or pot. Boosting an inviting butter aroma, I cannot help but feel like I am indulging in my all time favourite sinful essence without the added calories.

As most of us know, these type of canisters are highly flammable and I would suggest not storing it too close to the cooking station and when spraying over a hot pan, to ensure that a decent distant is adhered to.

I have made teriyaki chicken using this oil and surprisingly, the buttery scent from the oil did not rub on the chicken but gave the veggies (which was cooked in a separate pot) a subtle aroma. I have then concluded that when using bolder aromatics or flavours, the butter scent would not interfere in the overall dish's flavour.

Was craving for some potato wedges and voila, got my wedges covered in a bit of oil before sending them into the oven. Now to wait until summer comes around again before I can use it on the barbeque :p

The General Assembly, South Wharf MELB

Curiosity often points me towards pathways that I may otherwise not trek on, being the unadventurous character that I am. A row of thirsty and hungry diners basked in the last rays of the summer sunlight, all sun-kissed albeit hiding behind sunnies and large brimmed hats.

I now understand why people like to stroll along the South Wharf precinct on a warm summer evening - orange sunset glow, gentle breeze and the sound of seagulls squawking is reminiscence of walking along the beach, minus sand particles in between the toes.

Wood roasted lamb rack - a simple dish executed well.

Hot chips with confit garlic mayonnaise - can I ever resist chips? Nope.

Crisp skin salmon with smashed peas, freekeh and radish salad - smashed peas were a little grainy in texture, salmon perfectly seared all around and salad was a delicious blend of acidity and sweetness. Overall, a happy diner that day and I didn't need to go to the beach to get my dose of vitamin D.

My My, Mount Waverley MELB

Mount Waverley is the next closest suburb from where I am at and a suburb that has a limited number of good restaurants. Adventure beckons on a Friday night and with an Entertainment book voucher at hand, we headed to one of the busiest Vietnamese restaurants located in the Pinewood shopping area.

Service is efficient despite being packed full of customers although did notice a few confused moments among the staff members when delegating tasks - such is life at any work place.

Pho beef special combination - soup was lacking much needed oomph that comes from prolonged hours of simmering beef bones in a herb and spice concoction. Decent serve of meat but may not suffice for the big eaters out there.

Fried rice noodles with pork and king prawns - again, lacking in the taste department and verging on the oily side of the scale.

Vietnamese My My special - scallops wrapped in prawns and topped with a salty oyster sauce like mix. Not sure if I liked the oyster sauce mix.

Calia, CBD MELB

Just when I thought I have explored most of the brunch spots in CBD, along came Calia, a restaurant led by a Michelin star chef. Expecting a hefty price tag attached, I was surprised to note that the prices were actually quite comparative to other brunch outlets and in terms of the interior, it was chic and modern.

Iced matcha latte - refreshing and packed with a strong matcha flavour.

Truffled fries - I love fries and found this amazingly difficult to stop eating. Has a good amount of truffle essence in it and fries were crisp perfection.

Marbled sukiyaki bowl - topped with a 63 degree egg that spreads easily over the tender, soft wagyu pieces, it was delicious. Not sure how did the chef prepare the meat but goodness me, it was sensational. Worth a try for the carnivorous out there.

O'Bara bara - marinated chirashi of diced tuna, salmon, kingfish and tamago, topped with ikura and garnished with decorative flowers. Made picturesque by tactful placement of toppings, it's beauty had been easily overshadowed by how flavourful and fresh each individual ingredient was. Wasabi was freshly graduated and one only needs a quarter of a pea sized amount else it may compromise the seafood taste.

Matcha lava lava - I was feeling very piggish that day and gunned down this indulgent piece of dessert. Loved how strong the matcha flavour was here and how again, it has been artfully created. Talk about a smooth piece of cake that has no irregular shapes surrounding it. Call it the supermodel of desserts if you may. Raspberries were plump and juicy whilst the addition of cream softened up the intense flavours slightly. Overall, would be happy for round 2.

Dumpling Plus, Chadstone MELB

I have been craving for protein a lot more since I have started working out 5 days a week. When I lack protein in my diet or if I have it too late after exercising, I tend to get muscle cramps or sometimes, binge unnecessarily.

Dumplings are an excellent source of protein, especially if you have them steamed as opposed to being fried. Ok, so I did have lunch rather late that day and so the craving begins.

A quick fix would always be rocking up to the food court and selecting a few items from the front counter of any shop. Dumpling plus caught my eye for the variety of food available and priced decently as well.

$1.50 for one and $10 for a plate of 10. I could have easily polished off a plate of 10 but decided to hold back and try the other types of dim sum available. Dumplings were decent tasting albeit having a thick pastry skin layer.

BBQ pork in baked pastry - not much protein in this one although kudos to the chef for a well made baked pastry layer. Loved how it was flaky and slightly sweet to taste.

Prawn dumplings - at $6.80, this is not one plate to wolf down. Prawn bits were evident in here and tasted good too.

Steamed BBQ pork buns - the filling to bun ratio was spot on here. Filling was well soaked by all the lovely BBQ sauce from the pork filling.

Mapo tofu - ah, another dish that I could have easily polished off myself but decided not too. Was being a cheapskate and did not order any rice to go with it and so, ended up getting a takeaway container for the remaining half of the dish. Felt extremely thirsty after having this, a symptom I get when I have too much salt or MSG.

Overall, an option to consider in Chadstone shopping mall if you are feeling peckish and do not want to send your wallet into a state of coma. Post workout meal - checked