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

The Mess Hall

The Mess Hall

51 Bourke St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9654 6800

My friend was visiting me from Brisbane! =) It was a Sunday morning and we wanted brunch in the city, the few places I had in mind were either closed or packed! We finally came to The Mess Hall and luckily the one and only large table was free. 2 minutes later another group of 5 came in and left 'cause there was no room for them *phew*

The menu is quite limited but there were 2 dishes that caught P and my eyes.

P got the Corn fritters - served w/ avocado and cream cheese & dill $13.50

We LOVE corn fritters now - and yay these ones are actually like fritters and crunchy! Not as tasty as Mart 130 but still quite high on the fritters list =)

I got the Hollandaise eggs - w/ ham, spinach, hollandaise & dukkah on a sweet bun $16.5

Ooh on a sweet bun! What a nice change, tasted like a brioche =) They were very generous with the ham, actually thought there was a bit much =P The eggs were beautifully poached with a deliciously creamy hollandaise, can't really taste the dukkah (Egyptian mix of herbs and nuts) on top but does make it more aesthetically appealing =)

Food~
6.5/10 - food was quite good, it took a while to come out though, guess it is Sunday brunch but it's not a very big cafe...

Service~
2/5

Atmosphere~
3/5 - nice cafe feel at the communal table, but the tables are quite close, felt slightly claustrophobic =/

C.
xo

Passionflower

Passionflower

2/168 Bourke St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9663 0033

My friend wanted waffles at night that wasn't Max Brenner's - the only place I could think of was Cacao Green or Passionflower. He didn't want frozen yoghurt so Passionflower it was =)

P was thirsty so decided to get a drink first - Honey & Banana Ice Cream Milkshake $7.00

Looks quite plain and ordinary but was creamy and definitely quenched our thirst =) Made us want to make our own milkshakes at home! Too bad they didn't give it to us in the metal milkshake cups =P

There are so many desserts to choose from, with very temptingly delicious names and descriptions! And so many Asian flavours like durian, taro, coconut, red bean, green tea, sticky rice etc etc.

P and I decided to share the Masterpiece - this is an absolute cracker, treat yourself to this ultimate desert fantasy platter, chocolate banana crepe, tiramisu, green tea mousse, strawberry short stacks and ultimate pleasures of taro, coconut and sticky rice ice creams $25.00

Wow this was a massive platter of deliciousness! Loved the tiramisu <3 P really liked the green tea mousse and the short stack of pancakes - super fluffy! Also loved the icecream waffle cup - P hates taro normally but actually liked the taro icecream accompanied by glutinous balls =)

My friend saw the Lasting Love - strawberry and mango icecream dressed with a cocktail mix of kiwis, peaches and strawberries, dazzled with strawberry syrup and wanted to order it just for the name =P He told the waiter he wanted the Everlasting Love, and the waiter goes "you mean Lasting Love?" and my friend goes "No, I want Everlasting Love" *wink wink* so embarrassing!

Turned out to be a deliciously fruity dessert anyway =P

We were so full after it all - the waiter came and took our plates away and then brings out this cake and said it's their new cake and is complimentary from the chef! It's a green tea layered cake with green tea cream, red bean topping and vanilla icecream.

P enjoyed this but we were just so full by this stage had no room for it! The layered cake was actually layers of pancake and green tea mousse so it was too creamy for my liking. Still, free food definitely no complaints =)

Food~
7/10 - very delicious and uniquely Asian flavours, the only downside is the price!

Atmosphere~
3/5 - so warm in there - they had the heater on massively high, quite nice in the middle of Winter =P

Service~
3/5 - the waiters were very prompt, the girls were dressed with very minimal clothes =P guess the heater makes it quite warm in there lol..

C.
xo



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Came back here with the college gang a few months ago... we all got different desserts to try - check out their exotic names and descriptions lol =P

S and I shared the Pandora's box - indescribable, too wonderful for words, discover through the fragrant world of pandan and durian ice creams on coconut jelly, glutinous balls and set in red bean 

<3 durian icecream! though neither us of were fans of the coconut jelly or the glutinous balls - kinda like tasteless bits of chewiness =/ Don't know why but alot of the desserts had a shot glass next to it - we got a shot of coconut cream which complimented the flavours quite nicely.

And below are the other ppl's desserts - they're all huge I don't know how some of them managed to finish the whole thing! Sharing ours we were stuffed already! =P All were quite delicious, some fruity, some Asian flavours, some chocolately - something for everyone =) Would be nice if they made smaller portion desserts though for the times that we don't want that much! I guess that's when you just get a scoop of icecream but that's not cheap either =/

Final fantasy - our very famous black sesame & coconut ice creams accompanied by cool refreshing pieces of black jelly, drowned in a shot of evaporated milk

Sublime - a deep refreshing pond of lemon lime bitter jelly on a pack of shaved ice with a transparent reflection of peach & kiwi compliments to be indulged with a cool freeze of wild lime sorbet

Fill me in - if you love chocolate, this is for you! super rich chocolate mud ice creams covered with chocolate cookie crunch & spiked with a chocolate flake

Gold digger - chase to arouse your senses of wealth and riches, bathed in a pool of passionfruit shaved ice jelly syrup, sensuously covered with lychee & orange compote and a golden scoop of mango icecream

and lucky last which I don't know what it's called... some sorta chocolate thing =P

Spaghetti Tree

Spaghetti Tree

59 Bourke St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9650 3174

P didn't feel like cooking tonight so we decided to go out. Spaghetti Tree had been on the back of my mind for a while, I had a 25% off Entertainment voucher, and it always seems packed so we decided to go check it out. I got there at 7pm and the waiter asked if I had made reservations and I said no =/ Then she asked me if it was a table for one lol 'cause P wasn't there yet =P She said they were pretty fully booked but could put us on a table up the back so we went in. Up the back meant right next to the musician with his piano and violin - he was playing many classical and pop songs it was quite nice though it made it very difficult to talk =/

The tables here are all sorts of shapes and sizes - there were even tables that were ex-sewing machines! You can see the pedal under the table in the photo below =P

P wanted a starter so we got the Bruschetta - toasted Italian bread with pesto, tomato and basil $8.00

The bruschetta was actually a bit spicy strangely enough =/ And the toppings were really wet which made the bread soggy though the crust was really hard like it was stale =S We should have gone for the garlic bread like I wanted =(

P got Linguini with Meatballs - home made beef meatballs in a delicious Napolitana sauce $19.50

It was quite good, they were quite generous with the meatballs. And the spinach added an extra touch to the dish =) Though the pasta was cooked right through instead of al dente which is what P likes, but apparently most Australians like our pasta cooked through?

I thought I'd go for something different and try the Canneloni - home made meat, cheese and spinach blended with ham and eggs and then baked into a pasta roll, covered with our bolognaise sauce $19.50

Doesn't look very appetising does it? The canneloni mixture was a mush of I-dunno-what (it doesn't taste like cheese+spinach+ham+eggs at all). It was very salty and actually was a bit hard, like it was premade and heated up again so it was quite hard =/ The bolognaise sauce was quite good - there was more bolognaise sauce than there was actual canneloni. Maybe the lasagne would have been better lol.

Food~
5/10 - quite average, so surprised this restaurant is always so full! I don't think the pastas are worth $20 each

Atmosphere~
2/5 - very loud but the music was quite good

Service~
2/5 - was very busy on this night and the waiters weren't all dressed in waiter gear so it was hard to tell who's who =/

C.
xo

Taco Bill

Taco Bill

412 Collins St, Melbourne 

(Ph) 9670 4327

I had a Shop-a-Docket voucher for Taco Bill - buy one main get one free =) I had been meaning to try it out for ages, for some reason P has something against Mexican restaurants so it took us forever to finally come try it out.

We came to this one on Collins Street - it's like underground and looks slightly dingy but the waiters were very nice and were actually Mexican! (well they spoke Spanish =P) We got a bowl of corn chips and some salsa to start of with w00t freebies! The salsa was hotter than what we were used to but had lots of stuff in it =)

P wanted to get a Fruit Margarita $9.90 - we asked the waiter what was the most popular flavour and she said strawberry so we went with it =( Quite expensive but super delicious - fruity but slightly alcoholy! Totally wanted one each ><

The menu had lots of different things we had never heard of before but we decided to go for "Great for Beginners" dish and the "Our No. 1 Favourite" dish =)

The Beginners dish is a bit of everything. La Combinacion - beef enchilada, beef taco and beef taquito, served with frijoles and rice $21.50

This was super delicious! The beef was like pulled beef, soft and tender and full of flavour. Too bad the taco was a bit soft from the sauce it was sitting on =( The enchilada was cheesy and my favourite! So that's what a taquito is - it's a corn tortilla rolled up with beef filling and deep fried. Never had it before but I quite liked it with the salsa =) And frijoles! <3 Back when we used to frequent Montezuma's, I loved eating the beans mush you get on the side of the dishes - why can't they just call it bean mush =P Too bad they didn't give enough corn chips to go with it.

The No 1 favourite dish is the Fajitas - thinly sliced strips of marinated chicken sauteed with red and green capsicum and onion, served "sizzling" and accompanied by fresh guacamole, Mexican rice and warm flour tortillas $25.95

You wrap it up in the tortillas and eat it like a taco.

This dish sounds better than it tastes. The chicken was stir fried and marinated but the wraps felt like they were missing some cheese or sauce to be considered a Mexican dish. Maybe 'cause I'm so used to Old El Paso enchiladas =P And the guacamole and lettuce doesn't seem to go well with the stir fry =/

Food~
6/10 - go for the Beginners combination dish and definitely the margaritas!

Atmosphere~
3/5 - the underground restaurant turned out to be quite cosy =)

Service~
4/5 - very good here with the Mexican waiters =P

C.
xo

Q Eleven

Q Eleven

303 Coventry St, South Melbourne

(Ph) 9645 7311

☆☆☆

Another ☆☆☆ recommendation by the Cheap Eats Guide! It's a little cafe right next to the South Melbourne markets - I've walked past it so many times on my shopping trips there but had never stepped inside it before. And I find out my friend works here casually =) 

It's quite small, and you can see inside the kitchen which doesn't look very big with a single chef. P was hungry so he decided to go for the Spicy chicken, toasted ciabatta, mustard aioli, avocado mash, fresh tomato, bacon $14.50

It was delicious! Toasted ciabatta with fresh ingredients and just a touch of spice in the chicken =)

I'm always a sucker for corn fritters - Corn fritters, a poached egg, avocado mash, tomato chutney $13.90

Lately I've been having alot of corn fritters that are pancake like instead of fritter like - but this pancake-like fritter was still crunchy and yummy =) And the tomato chutney went well with the avocado mash - P who normally doesn't like avocado wanted more of my dish =P

Food~
7.5/10 - delicious! Wanna try all the other dishes on the menu

Service~
3/5 - very friendly homely waiters... think they're mainly family members working here

Atmosphere~
4/5 - lovely cosy little cafe =)

Next time will try to come when my friend is working!

C.
xo

Pho Dzung

Pho Dzung

234 Russell St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9663 8885

I told P I didn't want Pho for at least a year since I got back from Vietnam but he had cravings so I succumbed =( P of course got Special Beef Combination Pho 

Bowl of noodles with a plate of bean sprouts, mint, lemon and chilli - not as generous as they are at the Richmond restaurants (eg. Co Do, Thanh Tam)

The Pho was alright, not bad but nothing out of the ordinary.

I got the Grill Pork Chop, Fried Egg, Shredded Pork with Broken Rice $9.50

This took forever to come out. So I thought everything would be freshly cooked and delicious, but the grilled pork was quite dry =/ And they need some work on their presentation lol. They also gave a cup of sauce and a bowl of soup? The soup was really salty though =/ I wonder if they actually use broken rice here - I learned in Vietnam that broken rice refers to the rice grains that aren't whole which get put aside and get fed to the poor.

We also got some Spring Rolls $8.50

They don't put much inside the spring rolls though they are very tasty, especially when wrapped with the lettuce.

Food~
4/10 - wasn't very good, if you want good Vietnamese food head down to Richmond =)

Service~
2/5 - food actually took surprisingly long for an Asian restaurant =/

Atmosphere~
2/5 - dirty, but then again, what do you expect?

C.
xo