Grill'd @ Melbourne

Grill'd was one of our stopovers during our trip at Melbourne. We went there for a late dinner after our trip to Mt Buller and it was the perfect place for hungry people =)
 

Grill'd at QV Square

Artsy wallpaper

  
Either the designer is trying to say that the burgers are so yummy they'll take you straight to heaven or the burgers are so yummy, they've been elevated to the holy category. Well, either way, I agree with both concepts :D
  

So they say..

 

Black pepper grinder + tomato sauce bottle

  
The tomato sauce bottle is so adorable! It is a squeezable rubbery bottle and since it is shaped as a tomato, it really gives me the feeling like I'm squeezing out fresh tomato sauce on my fries =P Wonder where I can get this in KL...
 

Morrocan Lamb with Panini Bun (AUD 11.90) + Hot Chips (AUD 3.30) + Herbed Mayo (AUD 0.70)

   
The Morrocan Lamb Burger came with roasted peppers, tzatziki, salad and relish. I ordered the Panini instead of the usual bun. We also ordered a snack sized Hot Chips to share.
  

• The Panini was well toasted and the crusty bun was very good to mop up all the juices exuded by the roasted peppers.
• Grilled lamb pattie was thick and juicy and went extremely well with the relish.
• Thick cut fries were obviously hand cut from fresh potatoes. They were crisp and full of potato goodness =) 
• Herbed mayo was absolutely delicious...wish they sold a bottle of that here...

 

Mighty Melbourne (AUD 12.50)

   
JS had the Mighty Melbourne Burger which is basically a cheeseburger with bacon and fried egg. What I found interesting about the burger was the addition of a beetroot slice which provided a tangy accompaniment to the beef pattie.
   

I actually can't think of more words to describe the burgers since they were similar to The Daily Grind but the taste of the burgers at Grill'd is absolutely delicious and definitely in a league of its own, way above any burger place in Malaysia. Please do try it when you go to Australia, plus it is quite affordable at a little over AUD 10 =D
  

PawPoints: 4 Paws
   

http://www.grilld.com.au/

   
Grill'd

Level 2, QV

Corner of Swanston St and Lonsdale St

Melbourne CBD

Tel: 03 9663 0399

Sun - Thu: 10am - 10pm

Fri: 10am - 11pm

Sat: 10am - 10.30pm

+39 Pizzeria & Degustation Bar @ Melbourne

This Italian restaurant is one busy establishment. The first time we went there, we reached at 8pm and were told to return an hour later as the place was full. The next day, we made sure to reach a little after 6pm and it was already quite full - we were quite lucky to secure a table near the back of the restaurant.

Signage

I had no idea of the price as I didn't manage to find any reviews with the menu attached before we left for our trip so off we went. I should have guessed from its name "Degustation" that it would definitely not be cheap =.=
  

Salsiccia (AUD 25)

  
We decided on the Salsiccia Pizza which consisted of Italian Berkshire sausage, Porcini mushrooms, mozzarella, parmesan and tomatoes. The pizzas come in one standard size only - SCUSA!
  

• Pizza base did not taste very doughy but it was extremely hard to cut with a knife. Some customers just resorted to using hands. Definitely not the crispy kind of base as it was a little flimsy and soft with the amount of topping laden on it.
• Italian Berkshire sausage slices tasted normal as were the fancy sounding mushrooms.

  
I guess you could say the pizza was good but I prefer Crust...
  

Menu

  
This restaurant is rated highly in the Melbourne gourmet circle and I can see why - good food, good wine, all staff imported from Italy as they were speaking to each other in Italian thus ensuring a very authentic taste to the dishes served. However, for some reason, I felt a little slighted by the waiter as he was attentive to the adjacent tables except us, probably because we just shared a pizza and had 2 glasses of complimentary water? Perhaps if I was earning AUD, I would have given the restaurant more pawprint stamps of approval <sigh>
  
Edited to add: To its credit though, I read in another review that the Salsiccia is, in the author's words, "a deviation from the high quality norm". We must have picked the wrong pizza to sample then. The author also did note its 2nd rate service while still managing to attract a loyal band of followers.
 

PawPoints: 3 Paws

 
http://plus39.com.au/

+39 Pizzeria & Degustation Bar
362, Little Bourke St
Melbourne CBD
Tel: 03 9642 0440
Mon - Thu: 7am - 10pm
Fri - Sat: 7am - 10.30pm

Ramen Ya @ Melbourne

We have always wanted to try ramen in tonkotsu broth so after reading about the hunt for the best ramen in Melbourne here, we decided to pop over to Ramen Ya when in Melbourne for a taste of the famous pork broth.
 

Ramen Ya

Name Card

 
The address I copied from the internet was different from where the shop is located so we were lucky to have chanced upon it on our way to the copied address otherwise we would have missed it altogether unless there is another branch numbered 350...
  

Interior

  
I love the interior which was decorated with giant vases of cherry blossom stalks!
  

Genmaicha

  
As part of the set I ordered, genmaicha was served in a unique porcelain cup complete with tea strainer and cover. The design on the porcelain mug was very Oriental-ish and reminded me of ancient porcelain tableware in old Chinese shops. The genmaicha tea leaves had bits of roasted rice mixed in which gave the tea a much stronger aroma compared to instant genmaicha powder/ tea bags.
  

Cha Siu Ramen Set with Gyoza and Genmaicha (AUD 15)

 

• Broth and noodles were good.
• Cha Siu could have been better as they were not melt-in-your-mouth kind.
• Boiled egg did not have runny yolk as expected to be the norm of Japanese ramen.
• Gyoza was soft and small in size - you can easily pop the whole thing in your mouth. I thought they were nice but JS thought that he had tasted better ones.

 

Tsukune Ramen (AUD 11)

 
The ramen in tonkotsu broth with minced meat was okay only to me. Nothing special about it.
 

Takoyaki (AUD 6)

 
We could not resist ordering the Takoyaki after seeing it on the menu. The fact that the waitresses were from Japan added to our determination. The Takoyaki came with lots of bonito flakes but seemed to be missing the sprinkling of dried seaweed. The Takoyaki were soft with a moist center - much better than the Jusco Takoyaki in KL. Our only gripe was that there was insufficient filling (i.e. only a minuscule piece of octopus) and its small size.
 

PawPoints: 3 Paws

 

http://www.ramenya.com.au/
 

Ramen Ya

Shop 9 The Paramount

108 Bourke Street

Melbourne CBD

Tel: 03 9662 1001

Mon - Tue: 11am - 5pm

Wed - Sat: 11am - 9pm

Sun: 12pm - 4pm

Ahmet's @ Brisbane

Our friend brought us to Ahmet's for Turkish food since I preferred not to have any Asian cuisine. The place was packed with people on a week night and we had to wait for a while to get a table.
  

Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant

Baked Turkish bread glazed with garlic butter (AUD 6)

 
First up was the freshly baked Turkish bread glazed with garlic butter. It was a huge dough which was soft and moist. The garlic butter smelled so good but we were careful not to finish it as it would disrupt our appetite.
 

Apple Tea (AUD 6)

 
The apple tea was served hot and tasted like warm apple juice.
 

Lamb Guvec (AUD 23)

 
The lamb claypot casserole (but served in a metal pot?) came with a small container of Turkish rice sprinkled with what I presume is cinnamon powder. The rice was very fragrant and soft and the cinnamon smell was not strong. The casserole included eggplant, zucchini, onion, potato, celery, mushroom and carrot. Both the lamb and vegetables were very tender and fully absorbed all flavours of the broth. The tomato based gravy was absolutely delicious with rice.
 

Karisik Izgara (AUD 34)

 
The mixed grilled platter consisted of chicken, lamb and adana skewers and lamb cutlet as well as Turkish rice and a side salad. The adana skewer which is minced lamb with red and green capsicum, chilli flakes and parsley was very flavourful. The lamb cutlet and lamb skewer were marinated in red pepper, oregano and garlic and tasted good but was not exceptional. I enjoyed the chicken skewer (also marinated in the same spices) the most as the flesh was very moist.
  

Mousakka (AUD 24.50)

 
This dish is pure comfort food as the oven baked eggplant and minced beef in tomato paste went extraordinarily well with rice.
 

It is advisable to go in a big group and order to share due to the variety of dish choices available.

PawPoints: 4 Paws

http://www.ahmets.com/index.html

Ahmet's
Shop 10/164 Grey Street
South Bank
Brisbane
Tel: 07 3846 6699

Shou Sumiyaki Sake Bar and Grill @ Melbourne

It was by chance that we found this restaurant. For our Australia trip, we had the food trail all planned out through advance research on the affordable yet yummy places at each stop. On the last day, we had planned to go for yummy crispy pork belly sandwich at EARL Canteen and banh mi at Nhu Lan after reading about the latter here.
 

We went to Nhu Lan - the shop on Victoria Street had been demolished(!!!) to make way for some new office tower or other and the second outlet at Footscray was too far away. So off we headed to EARL Canteen on Bourke Street for some crackling comfort. It was a long walk as the shop was numbered 500. When we reached it, it was closed as it was located at the business district where all the adjacent premises were closed on a Saturday =.= We decided to make a last ditch attempt to eat banh mi at another outlet called N Lee Bakery on nearby Little Collins Street as I don't think banh mi is available in KL. We walked all the way back where we came from as N Lee is numbered 62 only to find out that the shop too is also closed -_____________________________-" Aren't most Asian shops open all day???
 

After being disappointed thrice, I decided I had to have some Japanese to cheer myself up. Off we went to Little Bourke Street for some pick-me-up. The shop front of Shou Sumiyaki looked very posh and we would never have entered had it not been for the menu proclaiming ramen lunch sets ranging between AUD 14 to AUD 16 <big grin>
    

Posh Japanese restaurant

Bar Counter

Ocha and Genmaicha

The tea is served in an authentic ceramic pot that looks like it was handcrafted individually based on the pot designs. Gosh I just love all these ceramicware - I swear I'm going to buy tons of this when I go to Japan and ship them back to KL d^^b 

Minced garlic, chilli pepper flakes and soy sauce

Appetiser

As part of the lunch set, we were served an appetiser of the day which was cucumber salad dressed in sesame sauce with a few slices of wagyu beef. Very dainty presentation. The cucumber salad was very refreshing and tasted great with the coating of sesame sauce and sprinkling of lightly toasted sesame seeds. The three small slices of blanched wagyu beef were very tender and yummy. 

Salmon sashimi

JS ordered the Salmon Sashimi Ramen Set which came with three slices of salmon sashimi which were very fresh and juicy. Unfortunately, it did not top Munakata's, possibly because the ones at Shou were not as thick as the ones at Munakata. 

Gyoza

I had the Gyoza Ramen Set which came with three (probably the shop owner's favourite number) pieces of gyoza, vinegarish dressing and a side salad. The gyozas were lightly pan fried resulting in a rather soft dumpling. I used the term "vinegarish" dressing as the sauce was not as sour as vinegar should be but it still went well with the gyozas. It also gave the otherwise plain salad a bit of flavour. 

Tonkotsu Ramen with Char Siu

All ramen sets came with char siu with a choice between miso or tonkotsu broth. Being deprived of pork (me more so than JS), we of course chose the tonkotsu broth. As befitting a posh place, the ramen did not disappoint. The broth was thick and flavourful, somewhat like drinking your mum's homemade pork bone soup. The addition of fried garlic bits in the soup added to the flavour. If you do not like garlic then it would be a bit of a pain trying to prevent the golden bits floating into the soup ladle.
 

The ramen was springy and not starchy and went well with the bamboo shoots, spring onions, bean sprouts and sliced woodear fungus. The boiled egg was perfectly done with a firm yet runny golden yolk.
 

The highlight was the char siu. Thick slices of melt-in-your-mouth meat, it was a mixture of both lean meat and fat and both were tender and meltingly soft.

PawPoints: 4 Paws

http://www.shousumiyaki.com.au/

Shou Sumiyaki Sake Bar and Grill

160 Little Bourke Street

Melbourne CBD

Tel: 03 9654 3993

Tue - Sun: 12pm - 3pm (Lunch)

Sun - Thu: 5pm - 10pm (Dinner)

Fri - Sat: 5pm - 12am (Dinner)

Pho Dzung Tan Dinh @ Melbourne

As Melbourne is teeming with Vietnamese, I figured that Vietnamese cuisine there should be as authentic as it gets. So after searching through a number of Melbourne food blogs, Pho Dzung Tan Dinh seems to get the best reviews out of the numerous restaurants.
 

Restaurant counter

Medium Sliced Beef Pho (AUD 9.50)

 

• Huge amount of tender slices of beef.
• Concentrated beef stock but the aftertaste is light and clear.
• Equal quantities of beef slices, rice noodles and bean sprouts.
• Lemon wedges add an unconventional tangy zing to the soup.
• Mint leaves (I should say branches) are huge though and are quite a handful - hard to soak everything in the soup since the bowl is already filled to the brim.

 

Condiments

Grilled Pork Vermicelli (AUD 8.50)

•  Grilled pork was quite good, very well seasoned. Can be a little dry near the bony parts.
• Good variety of vegetables including carrot, cabbage, red cabbage, bean sprouts and cucumber.
• Very large amount of vermicelli, insufficient sauce. It was quite hard to mix everything up properly and in the end, the vermicelli stuck together in a huge lump =.=

 
Overall I think that Vietnamese food in Malaysia is up to par with those at Melbourne (well based on this restaurant which supposedly is one of the best). The pho at Pho Dzung Tan Dinh was good but the Grilled Pork Vermicelli was so-so only - I've had better at Vietnam Kitchen.
 
Well it should be noted that the rave reviews were for the outlet at Richmond whereas we went to the CBD branch so I'm not too sure if there's a difference in taste? It should be the same though <shrug>

PawPoints: 3 Paws

Pho Dzung Tan Dinh
234B Russell St
Melbourne CBD
Tel: 03 9663 8885
Daily: 9am - 10pm

Tuckeria Fresh Mexican @ Brisbane

One of the top recommended Mexican fast food in Brisbane, we headed to Tuckeria for lunch right after checking in at the backpackers (the one we booked is totally not recommended =.=). It was such a long walk to the shop from Fortitude Valley Station though =.= When we reached it, it was empty whereas Grill'd next door had a few patrons. I was a little hesitant to enter but luckily my doubts were put to rest by the food and the amount of people queuing up come lunch time.
 

Shop Front

Counter

Menu

We had a hard time deciding what to order with the extensive choices. As indicated in the menu, you firstly choose the type of wrap and filling. Then select the type of beans you prefer. Thirdly, choose the type of salsa and level of spiciness and finally, add condiments as you wish =)
 

Back of menu

 
The back of the laminated menu has a graffiti representation similar to those seen frequently on the walls of Brisbane.
 

Decorative Chicos

Pork / Chorizo Tacos (AUD 9)

 

• Grilled pork was really good! Charred tender meat with a little fat - very well seasoned. I had half grilled pork and half chorizo but I think they must have given me grilled pork for both instead as I didn't taste any difference >.>
• Came heaped with Pico de Gallo Salsa which wasn't spicy even though I requested for 'hot' (spiciness categories include mild, medium and hot).
• I added loads of raw onions and coriander which are free! Went very well with the grilled pork as the raw onions provided a zing and the coriander a burst of freshness.
• White corn tortillas were very bland and floury - no amount of grilled pork and salsa could mask the blandness =.= The only thing which helped was the hot sauce which I poured generously =D

 

Beef Burrito California Style (AUD 11)

 
Flour tortilla wrapped around beef, black and pinto beans, and Pico de Gallo Tomato Salsa and baked in aluminium foil. JS chose California style which came with fries instead of Mexican rice.
 

Overflowing burrito contents

• Beef was very tender and well marinated - fell apart at the touch of the fork.
• Flour tortilla absorbed the juices of the beef and did not taste bland at all. Probably the effect of baking it in foil paper.
• Surprisingly, mixture of salsa, beans and fries went very well with the beef and tortilla.

Hot Sauce

 
Tapatio Hot Sauce - the only thing which saved my bland flour tortilla =P Spicy but really good, just like Nando's Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce =)

PawPoints: 4 Paws

http://tuckeria.com.au/

Tuckeria Fresh Mexican
421 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley
Brisbane
Tel: 04 0637 7278
Sun - Thu: 11.30am - 9.30pm
Fri - Sat: 11.30am - 10.30pm

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar @ Gold Coast

While researching for food in Gold Coast, we were attracted to this pizza shop by its website and menu. So many varieties of pizza!!! It took us quite some time to locate the building though and although they have many outlets, the hotel reception staff had never heard of it =.=
 

Shop Front

 
There weren't a lot of people at Crust - I presume most people are at home or they ordered delivery instead. We were the only table there so it felt a little awkward sitting outside (it's alfresco dining). Maybe it's because it was a Monday night?
 

Menu

 
We originally wanted to try the deep dish pizza as I don't think they are available in Malaysia but we couldn't tear our eyes away from the different kinds of flavours on offer!
 

Crust Supreme (AUD 21)

 
The pizza came laden with smoked ham, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, capsicum, onions and Kalamata olives. Just look at the amount of toppings scattered on top of the crust. All the toppings tasted as they should - chunky meat, juicy pineapples, crisp capsicum.
 

We requested for a Spicy Tomato Salsa base which gave an entirely different flavour to the pizza. It provided a slightly spicy and smoky tomato base that was unique and unlike any pizza we've ever tried. There are many other types of base to choose from such as Refried Bean, Pumpkin, Spinach and Ricotta, Sweet Chilli, Olive Tapenade, Hoisin, Bechamel, Garlic and BBQ.
 

The crust was very good - baked to perfection, crispy and not doughy. Each slice was of adequate thickness and topped generously with fillings. I find the amount of melted cheese on the pizza sufficient although cheese lovers may prefer to have more.

PawPoints: 4 Paws

http://crust.com.au/#

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
3/3018 Surfers Paradise Boulevard
Wyndham Surfers Paradise Building
Surfers Paradise
Gold Coast
Tel: 07 5538 6720
Mon - Thu: 4pm - 10pm
Fri - Sun: 12pm - 10.30pm

Peter's Fish Market @ Gold Coast

There are a few fish and chip shops in Gold Coast serving produce directly sourced from nearby trawlers. Peter's Fish Market which is located on Seaworld Drive is the one most accessible to us as we stayed at Surfers Paradise. It is also only a short walk from Seaworld so I would really recommend anyone stopping by the theme park to pop over for a quick bite. It is really worth the walk =) 

Not sure if the owner looks like this =P

Fresh seafood for sale

More seafood...

Depleting trays are immediately replenished by the staff

Succulent boiled prawns

Large array of fresh fish

Fish of the day + Small calamari + Small chips (AUD 10)

• Extremely fresh haddock with firm white flesh lightly flavoured with salt. Although it has been deep fried, the flesh remains moist and soft.
• Very crispy golden crumbly batter deep fried just right. No bitter dark bits.
• Extremely fresh calamari - tears off easily when bitten and not chewy at all.
• Normal chunky fries but better than the average chip shop fries.

Fish of the day + 4 Prawn Cutlets + Small chips (AUD 13) - Tartare Sauce (AUD 2)

• Extremely fresh prawns - if you scrape off the batter coating, the flesh is translucent and extremely bouncy even though it has just been deep fried. The tail is fried to a very crunchy texture - good for people (like me) who like chewing on crunchy bones =D
• Tartare sauce has a thick consistency unlike the watery ones in Malaysia. It seemed odd to eat fish and chips without tartare sauce or a splash of malt vinegar so we paid AUD 2 for it even though it sounds a bit unreasonable (aren't sauces supposed to be complimentary???). We had leftover sauce even with the small tub in the above pic (maybe JS didn't take much...bland tastebuds =P).

Notice I used the phrase "extremely fresh" multiple times? =D That's just how the food at Peter's Fish Market tastes like. I especially enjoyed the prawns and calamari. Remember to visit one of these trawler-shops when you're at Gold Coast! =)

PawPoints: 5 Paws

http://www.petersfish.com.au/home.html

Peter's Fish Market
120 Seaworld Drive
Main Beach
Gold Coast
Tel: 07 5591 7747
Daily: 9am - 7.30pm