Mad Mex

Mad Mex

Southern Cross Station

(actually many locations around Melbourne now..)

Suddenly so many Mexican restaurants popping up in Melbourne, I still haven't managed to make myself line up for Mamasitas yet, but we recently went to Taco Bill which really whet my appetite for more Mexican food =)

Mad Mex is a fast-foodish chain store started in Sydney, but now there are a few opened up in Melbourne. There's one opened up at Southern Cross Station now and there's an Entertainment buy-1-get-1-free voucher so we thought we'd give it a go.

P said it feels kinda like Subway, which I kinda agree, you choose your base "bread", choose your filling and choose your sauces (aka salsas). 

I went for some Nachos - tortilla chips with melted queso cheese w/ black beans, sour cream, jalapenos & choice of filling $10.90. And for the filling I got the Pork (carnitas) - slow roasted, shredded, traditional style w/ garlic, onion, lime & cumin. After so many years still reminiscing the delicious pulled pork from New York =) The waiter made this straight in front of us - awesome 'cause we were starving!

Doesn't look that appetizing but surprisingly was delicious! The pork was so soft and juicy and was very refreshing with the lettuce and tomato. I'm not usually a fan of black beans but they went well with the pork =) If only they gave us some guacamole too - I thought nachos automatically come with guacamole =(

P got the Grande Melt - toasted flour tortilla, a quesadilla with the works, rolled like a burrito and toasted $10.90. For the filling he chose Chicken (pollo) - freshly grilled, seasoned w/ our chipotle adobo marinade (chemical free)

They give us a number plate and bring this out to us in only about 5 minutes - good to know they make it straight away for you =P it comes wrapped up in al-foil and P automatically rips it open.  Who's to know you're actually meant to just open it on one side and eat it while still in the al-foil so the juices don't leak out the bottom - there were actually instructions on how to eat burritos on the serviettes here which we didn't read until we got our hands drenched in burrito sauce haha =P

Lots of filling! Chicken and lots of cheeeeeese =D Too bad the juices made the tortilla soft and soggy instead of crispy =( How are you meant to eat it so it stays crispy hmm?

Food~
6/10 - quite good! I'd recommend the nachos or at least try some of their homemade tortilla chips =) Treating it as fast food, it's definitely is quite high on ratings!

Service~
1/5 - it is fast food so can't expect much service, but they could have at least cleaned the table properly for us when we asked them to..

Atmosphere~
2/5 - they need more tables here! Though the Melbourne Central store is nicer with it's own private eating area as opposed to be part of the big food court =)

C.
xo

Monga Sweet Cafe

Monga Sweet Cafe

Level 1, 217 Russel St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9654 4885

After the greasiness and spiciness of Crazy Wings, we wanted some sweet refreshing drink to wash it all down. Walked past Monga Sweet Cafe and decided to try it out =) I had heard about it in Boxhill, and how it serves genuine Asian, especially Hong Kong, desserts and Tea Cafe foods. There are actually quite a few Asian dessert places popping up in the CBD, like Dessert Story (2 stores in the CBD now!).

You go up the stairs to the cafe, the first floor looks like a typical modern cafe, with some sofas for you to relax on as well. Unfortunately the first floor was full on this night, so they asked us to go upstairs. There's a sign saying "1970s Hong Kong Style Venue Upstairs" and wow! It really feels like you're transformed back to olden day Hong Kong! It's quite dark there, with many square tables of 4, looks kinda like a mahjong den =P

And there was a genuine Bus Stop sign right next to our table!

You can come here and play games (cards, chess etc) - but you do have to rent it. And there's a room with dart machines in it too! Though that doesn't feel very Honky lol =P

We were going to go for a set - drink + pineapple bun, but then E wanted to try the following 2 desserts so we decided to not get a drink and just go for the 2 desserts =P

First was the Deep Fried Sweet Potato w/ Golden Syrup $4.50

We weren't going to go for something deep fried after the greasy chicken wings, but we're both suckers for sweet potato =P surprisingly wasn't too greasy and was very crunchy, though there was more batter than sweet potato lol. If only they were a bit more generous with the golden syrup =P

My favourite Honky dessert - Hawker's Waffles  (Peanut butter & condensed milk) $7.00

Doesn't look as appealing with the waffle drenched in peanut butter and condensed milk but the taste is what matters more! deliciousness <3 Crunchy waffles with a watered down peanut butter and condensed milk mixture - whoever thought of this mixture is a genius =)

This is the original one from the most famous place in Hong Kong <3

LOVE <3

Food~

7/10 - quite good, definitely feel like I've been transported back to Hong Kong =) whenever I feel slightly homesick will definitely come here! Wanna try some of the other savoury Tea Cafe foods too =)

Service~

4/5 - since we were one of the only 2 tables upstairs, the single waiter (I actually think he was the manager as he was in a suit!) was very prompt with our orders and bringing us water and everything =)

Atmosphere~

3/5 - bit too dark for my liking but love the Honky decor!

Will definitely be back =)

C.
xo

Crazy Wings

Crazy Wings

177 Russell St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9663 6555

E and I had been meaning to try out Crazy Wings for a while, and finally, we decided to go and kill our taste buds. We had heard the Crazy Wings are ridiculously hot, the hottest thing ever, and neither of us are particularly good at chilli but thought we'd give it a go =P

The restaurant is a small dimly lit place with 2 chefs grilling off skewers in the open barbeque kitchen. Service is not fantastic here, the waiter put 2 cups and a tray between us, still dripping wet with water. And a pile of serviettes - little did we know we'd be using the whole pile from crying and snotting and wiping the chilli powder off our skewers =P

Ordering is quite simple here, you tick how many of each type of skewers you want - their specialty is chicken wings, but they have lots of different meats and seafood skewers, as well as offal and vegetable skewers. Most skewers range from $2 to $3, but some vegetable skewers are more expensive up to $5. There is also fried rice and other dishes but we decided to just stick with the skewers. They have special buy-1-get-1-free wings everyday - on this night it was the Lobster flavoured wings so we got 2 lots of them =) we also got a honey spicy wing, and the much dreaded Crazy Wing. Thought we should get some meat skewers to try (lamb, and chicken soft bone) and some vegetable skewers (eggplant and enoki mushroom wrapped with tofu). We had also ordered a honey BBQ mantou (steam bun) but they didn't see the tick next to it and we forgot about it until we left boo =(

First came the non-crazy wings - both the lobster wings and honey spicy wings were very tasty. Strong BBQ flavour, with some mild Sichuan pepper flavouring. The lobster wings didn't taste of lobster at all but definitely well worth the $1 per skewer (half price) =)

The best skewer though was the lamb meat - soft juicy and tender BBQ meat. The chicken soft bone was quite good too, chewy crunchiness. After a while, all the skewers tasted the same of the subtle Sichuan pepper flavour though, washed down with litres of water =P

Finally, the much anticipated Crazy Wing came to our table. We were quite worried, tables around us had 2L of milk or 2L bottles of Sprite to wash it down, and all looked like they were in pain. I took one wing off the skewer and just touched my lips with it. Initially nothing happened, but after a few seconds, my mouth was roaring with fire. I could not believe how ridiculously spicy that tiny touch could have been - even after gulping down litres of water my mouth was still on fire. I tried to just eat the meat inside and not touch the spicy skin but that was still unbearable. I don't know how anyone could enjoy this torture =/ Apparently they use Habanero chilli on these, which is one of the spiciest chilli peppers. They are rated 100,000 - 350,000 on the Scoville scale, meaning the chilli chemical stimulant needs to be diluted at least 100,000 times before it is undetectable *shivers*

Our mouths were still on fire that when the vegetables came, everything tasted the same spiciness so couldn't really enjoy them. I brushed the chilli powder off the eggplant and the tofu wrapped enoki mushrooms but still had to gulp down cups of water. We totally should have bought some milk tea or something - they sell cartons of milk tea or cans of herbal tea here which would have helped =P

After my first visit here, P brought various different friends here and dared them to try and finish a Crazy Wing. He himself couldn't do it though =P The first friend, A, nearly died after a bite. The 2nd friend, M, managed to eat one but was in much pain after it all. And the last friend, J, managed to eat the whole skewer of Crazy Wings, 2 WHOLE wings! =O we were in awe and shock! He went red and said he felt like he burnt his whole digestive tract - really don't think this is healthy for you =P

Food~
5/10 - is alright, the lamb skewers are the best, and don't order the Crazy Wings unless you want to torture yourself =P

Atmosphere~
2/5 - felt quite dirty in there but you don't come in here for the atmosphere

Service~
2/5 - poor but that was expected

Come here only if you want a chilli challenge!

C.
xo

Tiamo

Tiamo

303 Lygon St, Carlton

(Ph) 9347 5759

How can you come to Melbourne without coming to Lygon Street? I've been to Il Gambero the past few times, so decided to go to the other end of Lygon St, to Tiamo. There's Tiamo, and it's sister restaurant, Tiamo 2 next door. Tiamo serves more traditional Italian dishes while Tiamo 2 has more gourmet dishes. You can order from both menus at either restaurants but we all decided to go for traditional pastas at Tiamo. It's very casual inside with lots of posters and currency notes stuck on the walls.

A plate of bread already buttered for us! Reminds me of Pellegrini's. Feels very homely and for some reason, genuinely Italian =)

You choose the sauce and the pasta type to go with it. P got Carbonara - bacon & egg $16.50 with fettucine.

Looks quite ordinary but was so creamy and filling! The pasta was cooked slightly too long so it was a bit less al dente than we would have liked.

I got the Lasagne - layers of pasta sheets filled with bechamel sauce & Bologna sauce $15.50. I was thinking of getting the Cannelloni but after my failed one at Spaghetti Tree didn't want to risk it again.

Looks ridiculously big and messy. Lots of bolognaise <3 P thought it was a bit too salty but I thought it was still not too bad. They gave us a bowl of parmesan cheese and a jar of chilli flakes, so of course I topped my lasagne full of cheesy goodness =D

Food~
6/10 - very genuine Italian food =)

Atmosphere~
2/5 - it was surprisingly packed on this weekday night, very cosy atmosphere with the dim lighting

Service~
3/5 - food came very promptly, we were starving!

C.
xo



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Came back here again a few months later, P got the Carbonara again but this time with penne - seemed a bit dryer this time but with they were more generous with the bacon bits =)

I got the Cannelloni - not as sloppy as the lasagne and not as salty as I remembered the lasagne to be either so both a plus =) 

Culumus Inc

Cumulus Inc

45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

(Ph) 9650 1445

I had read a lot of good reviews about Cumulus Inc so thought I should bring my friends here for lunch. We came on a weekday, and lucky, we got a table pretty instantly. Since we were a group of 5, they sat us at this random corner half booth table where 3 of us sat on the semicircle booth, and the other 2 sat on chairs outside. One side of the booth didn't have a cushion so P had to sit on this hard wooden seat =/ pretty strange table. The restaurant is quite small but the open kitchen is in view from our table which was nice.

The waiter told us all their dishes are for sharing, and suggested us to get a few starters, and 2 mains to share but we weren't that hungry so just got one main instead.

They started us off with a mini pan of breads, there was a sour dough and a grain bread. Lucky they kept refilling our bread otherwise we would have starved since the dishes weren't that big =/

We got a few Charcuterie (cured meats) since it seems to be one of their specialities. Pheasant terrine, pickled rhubarb $17

What does pheasant meat taste like? This kinda tasted like spam lol =P was quite tasty though and lucky we got our plate of bread to go with it 'cause 4 tiny pieces of toast is not enough! We actually thought the pickled rhubarb was the pickled ginger you eat with sushi normally =P

The waiter suggested the Wagyu bresaola (40g) with truffle cream & artichoke $19

40g of wagyu is really not much, but this was really delicious with the truffle cream (not that we can taste it is truffle =P) and the chips.

P thought it would be cool to eat elk - one of the largest species of deer in the world so we got the Red elk and rocket salad with cider vinaigrette, candied walnuts $10 The waiter said they were out of rocket and were going to give us cos lettuce instead which we said was alright.

We searched the whole salad for any trace of meat or elk and found nothing. We asked the waiter where the deer meat was and she's like "Wah?" and we said "The elk?". The waiter said red elk is actually the red rocket-like lettuce in the salad omgosh =__________= I just searched "red elk" on Google and there was nothing about the lettuce, all about the deer, until I searched "red elk lettuce" so obviously it's not very common =/ What a disappointment. At least the walnuts were crunchy and honeyed.

Since this was a French restaurant, I decided to get the Fois gras parfait with toasted brioche $17

It's like a pate, and surprisingly went very well with the sultanas. The brioche was delicious, slightly sweet but very fluffy. The parfait is very rich and creamy so need lots of bread to go with it, and lucky our bread plate kept getting refilled =P

The one main dish we got was the Fried soft shell crab, kimchi, lettuce & kewpie $19 which was recommended by the waiter.

You eat it like a wrap, putting some crab in a piece of lettuce, with some kimchi or kewpie sauce. The kimchi was definitely not kimchi, wasn't even spicy at all, and actually was a bit strange with the kewpie - kewpie was delicious with the crab though. The soft shell crab was deliciously fried, few meaty bits and many crunchy legs to go around =)

Food~
6/10 - food was pretty tasty but very small portions and not worth the money =(

Service~
4/5 - quite good, very diligent in their bread refilling =P

Atmosphere~
3/5 - open bright restaurant with high ceilings and open kitchen, too bad we got the random corner table =P

C.
xo

Waffle On

Waffle On

Shop 9, Degraves St, Melbourne

(Ph) 0401 408168

I've always <3 LOVED <3 Belgium waffles, always get waffles at Max Brenner's and I even bought a waffle iron and pearl sugar and make my own waffles, though they're not as tasty =( I was taking my friends around Melbourne and was having a waffle craving. We came to Degraves Street on Sunday and *shock horror* Waffle On is closed on Sundays! =O We didn't feel like Max Brenner's so we just came back later in the week to fulfill my craving - w00t! It's called Waffle on here but they do some good baguettes here too. There are no tables here, it's pretty much takeaway for all, but there is a bar table at the side, normally with 3 stools but the stools weren't here on this day =O

You can get a plain waffle or get toppings with it. Since we were gonna eat at the bar table, I decided to go for the Mikado - waffle with icecream and chocolate sauce $6.50

I don't think the waffles are made on the spot for you as you can see a pile of premade waffles in the kitchen, but I'm pretty sure they're made on the day as they still taste fresh. Crunchy on the outside, doughy inside with little bits of pearl sugar. Delicious with some icecream =) I could really have waffles everyday haha =D

P wanted something savoury so he got a baguette. Le Fermier - chicken, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato $9

Such a simple baguette but so delicious - the bread is so fresh and crispy that it hurts the roof of your mouth after eating it for a while =P Lots of mayo just how I like it =) If I had room I would have so had a baguette too... and another waffle haha =P

Food~
7.5/10 - one of the best takeaway places ever =D <3 waffles!

Atmosphere~
3/5 - the owner(s?) talk French to each other so it's got a very genuine feel, only downside is where are the stools on this morning?!

Service~
there isn't much of service here as it's pretty much takeaway =P

Definitely give it a try if you haven't before!

C.
xo

Gingerboy

Gingerboy

29 Crossley St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9662 4200

We had wanted to come to Chin Chin for dinner, went in at 6.15pm and they said the wait was going to be at least 1.5hrs so nearly 8pm =/ We were starving so decided to go somewhere else - thought we should come to Gingerboy since the cuisine is quite similar. And luckily they could seat us straight away =)

The waiter said we should share 5 entrees and 3 mains between 5 of us, but we weren't very hungry so decided to just get 2 entrees and 3 mains. 

We hadn't ordered this but this came to our table - Crispy chilli salt cuttlefish, lemon and roasted sesame. Looked delicious, we thought it was a freebie but then realised they had actually just given it to the wrong table =( I wonder if they give the same dish to the correct table or they bring out a new one? They really should bring out a new one, so if that's the case they should have just let us eat this one haha =P

I love the Son in law eggs at Chin Chin so I had high expectations here. Son in law eggs, chilli jam and asian herbs (3 pieces) $13.50

The eggs come whole here, and the waiter adviced us to put the whole egg in our mouths and let it melt in there. It JUST fit in my mouth but was so difficult trying to bite it and taste the flavours. I think I prefer the Chin Chin ones which are cut in half with a soft boiled yolk. I couldn't even tell what the yolk was like here I had so much difficulty eating this =( Also I think the Chin Chin ones were crispier on the outside but like I said, it may be because I couldn't taste much here =/

We also got the special entree of the night - fried soft shell crab (don't know what the name is as it's not on the menu)

<3 soft shell crab! Crispy yet lots of flavourful meat =) The salad was really good too, no coriander w00t =P

P had been here before and recommended the Red braised pork belly, szechuan spiced pineapple relish, pickled papaya $37.50

He said he remembered it to be better, but then again, last time he came it was a a free work dinner and free food always tastes better haha =P The pork belly was very soft and tender with a sweet and spicy sauce - modern Asian flavours =)

I wanted the Red duck leg curry, shallots, thai basil and coconut cream $38.50

Deliciously coconutty and not spicy at all - red curry is my favourite curry <3 I like how they dribbled some coconut cream over it to give it some colour difference =) The duck meat was so soft it pretty much fell off the bone =)

Last came the the Roasted hapuka, bandit sauce, zucchini fritters, fennel and citrus salad $39.00

This was alright, fish was roasted nicely with crispy skin. Zucchini fritters were delicious but got soft on the sauce =( Citrus fruits aren't in season so were a bit sour =/

Food~
7/10 - quite tasty overall, though it is quite expensive =/

Atmosphere~
3/5 - ambient atmosphere with beautiful internal decor

Service~
4/5 - very good service but you're paying for it here =P

C.
xo

Giant Steps / Innocent Bystander

Giant Steps / Innocent Bystander

336 Maroondah Highway, Healesville

(Ph) 5962 6111

Day trip to Yarra Valley! Our friend told us about Giant Steps / Innocent Bystander and how they do quite a good lunch here =) I got very confused why it's called both Giant Steps and Innocent Bystander - I still don't understand it but I think they're 2 separate wineries' wines sold at this one place. So we got here and I started walking up the stairs but then realise the restaurant is actually on ground level and you don't need to go up the stairs... why call it Giant Steps when you don't have to go up the steps?! But then I find out "Giant Steps" is named after John Coltrane's jazz album hmm lol.

The decor is very unique, an open warehouse with lots of interesting decorations. Very warm atmosphere with the sun shining in =)

Decorations include this stand of shoe moulds with plants growing out of them =P

The kitchen is an open kitchen with a wood fire oven and there is a bakery on site as well - breads smelt delicious =)

There were 5 of us, we decided to share a few pizzas since we know they're good and 'cause they'll be easier to share. This is what it says on the menu regarding the pizzas - we make authentic artisan, wood fired oven pizza, and that means it is all about the base. the toppings are simplebut effective, showing off the very best produce that we can source - items such as san marzano tomatoes and italianbuffalo mozzarella - always using the freshest ingredients including local garlic, seasonal vegetables and herbs grownin wine barrels in our herb garden behind the winery. How gourmet sounding =P

I wanted the roast mushroom, asiago, black truffle oil, garlic and parsley $23

The crusts are puffy yet crispy - delicious! <3 mushrooms =) really couldn't taste the truffle... I don't know what the big dealio with it is even after Vue de Monde lol. If only they were a bit more generous with the cheese...

spicy pork sausage, buffalo mozzarella, san marzano tomato & chilli $22

This one is not as aesthetically appealing, was quite good but a bit too chilli for my liking.

prosciutto, san marzano tomato, cravero parmesan and parsley $24

This one definitely doesn't look great =/ why not spread the proscuitto pieces around instead of having it poke off the pizza? Didn't have as much taste except the saltiness of the proscuitto. Crust was better on this one bit more toasty =)

Last was the pumpkin, spinach, roast garlic, feta & pine nuts $22

This was surprisingly tasty, P who normally doesn't like pumpkin enjoyed this very much. The pumpkin was roasted well, still soft inside and the pine nuts were toasty as well. The only downside was that the toppings were quite loose, especially the spinach and the feta so quite hard to hold and eat. If only they had some mozzarella or something to stick it all together =P

As we left we saw this sign hanging off the ceiling - haha! What a threat =P

Food~
5/10 - food was so so, quite expensive for what you get. and we got a bit sick of pizza after a while, should have tried some of their other menu items

Atmosphere~
4/5 - come here for the atmosphere for sure! we sat at this massive booth, it was so long could have easily sat 5 people on each side =P you can also sit on the couches if you want to come here for a snack =)

Service~
3/5 - quite lacking in staff so took a while taking our orders and for the food to come out =(

Come try here if you haven't been before! Quite unique =)

C.
xo