Katialo, Oakleigh by Bureaucrat

Dining out with Boy Chick means having lunch around 11.30am.  As such, sometimes we are limited with the options we're presented with.  Usually when we're out and about in Oakleigh, we end up at Meat Me Souvlakerie or Kentro (and then on to Nikos Cakes for some much-needed hit of Greek pastries).  However, this time, we wanted to mix things up.  And when the friendly staff at Katialo confirmed that the lunch menu was available at 11am, we parked ourselves at one of their outdoor tables.

Seafood is always on the agenda when we're at a Greek restaurant.  And so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have grilled octopus.  This was a juicy, tender and meaty tentacle.  Simply seasoned with oregano, lemon and olive oil this was so, so moreish.  While the solitary tentacle may look meagre to some, I can assure you that this was a good sized serving.  It came with a squeaky fresh salad.  

A25, South Yarra by Bureaucrat

Even if you don't follow world politics, I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of Silvio Berlusconi, former Prime Minister of Italy.  One of the more memorable, if not infamous, incidents during his tenure was the "bunga bunga" scandal.  During a court case it was revealed that an under-aged belly dancer and alleged prostitute claimed that she was paid by Mr Berlusconi to participate in orgies with him and 20 other women, and this included performing an African-style ritual known as the "bunga bunga" in the nude.

While A25 styles itself as a vegan-friendly pizza restaurant (indeed, there are many options for vegans to have their pizza pie and eat it too), it's also a tongue-in-cheek homage to Mr Berlusconi - from his image on the takeaway pizza boxes, the Bunga Bunga pizza and the vibrant pink toilet with the fluorescent love-heart mirror that frames the wall-length image of him when you look into the mirror (read on for the photo!).

Hahndorf's Fine Chocolates, Forest Hill by Bureaucrat

Free hand-made chocolate with every drink purchased - all the time, every time.

Gimme, gimme!

Yep, I figured that'll get your attention!  Hahndorf's Fine Chocolates has to be the best kept secret across Melbourne - more so than any hidden bar in a CBD laneway.  How this delightful chocolate shop isn't as well known as, say, Koko Black or Max Brenner is a puzzle to me.  Ms M first took me to Hahndorf's over 10 years ago.  This was at their Burwood shop, which I think no longer exists (though there are now about 15 shops dotted across Victoria).  At the time, I was amazed at how we just ordered a coffee each and the staff, with beaming smiles, would come around with a tray of chocolates to devour.  Since then, I had all but forgotten about the place until I started seeing one in Ferntree Gully as I make my regular pilgrimages to Mt Dandenong; and then I spotted one in the unlikely place of being next to an Aldi supermarket in Forest Hill Shopping Centre.

BBQ-K, Doncaster East by Obelix

I have recently discovered KPop, and now identify myself as an official Blink (KPop terminology for a BlackPink fan).  As a result of the endless hours of watching their MVs and reality show episodes on YouTube, the thoughtful YouTube algorithm thingamajig has been recommending all manner of videos related to Korean culture to my feed.  Which brings me to my recent fascination with Korean food... which brought me to BBQ-K, Korean BBQ restaurant.


Burn, baby, burn!

P was not resisting when I dragged him along for a cook-right-in-front of you BBQ-on-the-tabletop meal featuring all (well, at least the common) domesticated farm animals.  Not being able to decide on whether to order the pork, chicken or beef set menu, we went with the combination set of scotch fillet, pork belly and chicken thighs.

Afghan Salang Restaurant, Dandenong by Bureaucrat

I love Afghani food but I have to say I don't get the opportunity to eat it as often as I would like.  So when an opportunity came up to catch up with Big Fil, it was going to be an Afghani lunch.  Afghan Salang Restaurant is a few doors down from my beloved Afghan Tasty Food.  Both, as it turns out, serve very delicious Afghani food.  I'd say the difference between the two would be that Afghan Salang Restaurant feels a bit more like a restaurant, while Afghan Tasty Food is a little bit more family-style in its decor.

Delicious skewers - chicken tikka and shami (lamb mince)

There is a range of banquet options (including vegetarian ones) at Afghan Salang and we both went for banquet number 4 - eight courses for $35.  The banquets are an excellent way to try many dishes for a very reasonable price (since most of the main dishes are in the mid $20 zone). 

Fish Tank, Brighton by Obelix

Do a quick Google search for the best fish and chips in Melbourne and you are bound to come up with Trip Advisor posts about Fish Tank.  These guys reassuringly serve seafood sourced from Australia.  Based on Church Street, Brighton, on some days (hot summer ones) it is a frenetic hive of activity as beach-goers swarm the place for a feed.


Grilled prawns

We were hankering for some good old fashion fish and chippery on one of those said hot summer days.  As the place was packed, we ordered ours to take away.