Rasa Malaysia, Caulfield by Big Fil

Rasa Malaysia is seemingly a permanent fixture in both the Good Food Guide and the Age's Cheap Eats. Located near Monash University's Caulfield campus, but unlike many Malaysian eateries it's not really orientated towards the student end of the market; it's somewhere I've eaten at numerous times but not for a while. Miss Counting Her Calories was going to be in the area on a cold and wet Wednesday night so we were off to sample some of the best laksa and char kway teoh in Melbourne.

Unfortunately though, we had a bit of a Goldilocks experience with the food. There’s little allowance made for western palates not used to much chilli in the food and consequently I ordered our dishes as medium hot. That meant that one of us found the food very spicy, one would have liked it a bit hotter and me, well, I found it just about right.


First dish to arrive was the curry laksa. Rasa's curry laksa is a little different to most around town, more creamy and less curry flavoured. Both Miss Counting Her Calories and I thought this was as good a laksa as we’ve had in Melbourne. To be picky it could have used more egg noodles and been more generous with the other ingredients, but I thought the soup itself was the best I've had outside Malaysia.


I order the Nyonya beef hotpot every time I visit. It’s easy to explain why. Moist, tender, spicy and with the spices adding depth to the flavour, it’s just delicious.


Miss Counting Her Calories and I disagree about where to get the best Char Kway Teoh in Melbourne. I think it’s at Rasa, whereas it’s only her second favourite place. On this night though I didn't think it was as good as it had been before. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but something seemed to be missing. Still good, but not its usual dish of the night.


That title would have gone to one of the desserts. I would have been hard pressed to choose which one though as taste and presentation wise these were the best I've had at a Melbourne Malaysian restaurant.

I'm not always a huge fan of Kueh dadar, a pandan flavoured crepe filled with desiccated coconut and palm sugar (gula Melaka). The main problem is that the crepe and coconut can be a bit dry and ruin the texture of the dish. No such problems here.


My personal favourite was probably the pisang goreng or fried banana. Served with a rich and thick caramel sauce, the batter was thin and crispy and the banana still firm on the inside. I don't normally like banana fritter style dishes but this one might change my mind.


Finally, the pandan flavoured sticky rice. Pandan is one of my two favourite flavours for desserts (along with vanilla) and the rice in this one was delicately flavoured with none of that starchiness causing the rice to clump together into a ball you sometimes get. Three desserts, all winners.


Overall
Once or twice the food here has been a bit of a letdown, probably because my expectations are so high, but generally the Malaysian food here is about as good as it gets in Melbourne. The atmosphere is nice and the staff very friendly and helpful (it’s not often one of the owners comes out to sing happy birthday to a guest at the next table). One thing though, there are two rooms in the restaurant and for the first time that I can remember we were in the second room. This seemed to affect service slightly, and it felt a little less organised than usual. If you’re interested in Malaysian food I recommend paying a visit, and paying a bit more for a more refined experience.

Rating
Food – 8
Service – 7
Ambience - 7.5
Price – 7

Address
29 Waverley Road
Malvern East Vic 3145
Tel: (03) 9572 3688

Bibimbab Cafe, England by Bureaucrat

Ever since I became enamoured with the Korean actor, Shun Hyun June, I made a point to learn more about Korean cuisine.


Located within a stone's throw of the British Museum, it almost seems like an odd place for it to be. Despite its location, Bibimbab Cafe doesn't jack up the prices to relieve unwary tourists of their money.

I've been to BC a few times. It's a small, homely cafe, which is run by a very efficient Korean woman. Everything there is meticulous, efficient and clean.


On the day I went, I ordered the beef stew with rice. The stew came with a bowl of miso soup (which I didn't finish, because I'm not a fan of miso).


The stew had strips of slow-cooked beef. It was simply cooked in its own juices, but with the addition of some carrots and onions. Tasty, simple and homely.


Also,when I get a craving at work for Chapchae (noodles made from potato starch or mung bean flour), I know where to go in a jiffy. Flavoursome noodles, dressed in a mixture of soy, cooking wine and sesame oil. Lots of blanched veggies (spinach, beanshoots, carrots and zuchinni). My only other comment is that I wish they made a bigger serving size for chapchae - I love it too much.

What I particularly like about this place is that they make small quantities of the snacks (eg tempura-like prawns, slices of Korean pancakes and sushi). This means that you know it's fresh and the food hasn't been sitting around for the last couple of days.

Overall
BC doesn't offer the biggest range of dishes, but it serves reasonable, homestyle food at a (very) reasonable price. If you're in the area and craving a 'cheap eat' Korean place, then do try this out.

Address
Bibimbab Cafe
7 Museum St
Camden Town WC1B
Telephone: 0207 404 888

Macaron crawl by Snooze

I know many of you will be familiar with the idea of a pub crawl; Eat and Be Merry went on its inaugural macaron crawl taste testing three places in the Melbourne CBD and one in South Yarra. We didn't go overboard, limiting ourselves to only one macaron each per place. And to get a little more 'bang' for our buck (and to help minimise the sugar buzz), Benny turned out to be a master at cutting the macarons in half with minimal damage.

Cacao Fine Chocolates and Patisserie

The first cab off the rank was Cacao in the Melbourne GPO. Cacao comes well recommended as the winner of the Melbourne's Best Macaron 2010 award. In my opinion it was well deserved and I'm not prejudiced ... they won it for my favourite macaron of the store and the day; the sumire (violet and blackcurrant). The store in the GPO is more of a kiosk and concentrates on chocolate, drinks and macarons only, the macarons being made in their St Kilda store. The macarons at Cacao are also on the small side but at only $2.20 they were the cheapest we tried.


The macarons we tested were: sumire (violet and blackcurrant), coconut , hazelnut and praline, passionfruit and salted caramel.


The consensus was that the macarons were soft and delicate, with a lovely sheen, crispy on the outside and very chewy on the inside. There were special mentions to the passionfruit, which tasted firstly of chocolate followed by passionfruit. And a special mention has to go to the salted caramel which was an explosion of salt and caramel, crispy and deliciously chewy.

La Belle Miette

Everything about La Belle Miette is delicately pretty: the store window, the boxes, the decor, and I think it's one of the prettiest stores in Melbourne generally. The day we visited we were looked after by the owner's mother who was filling in for the day. It was lovely hearing her obvious pride in her daughter and her daughter's devotion to her craft, and I think her pride is well placed. Because the store is so small the macarons are made elsewhere in a commercial kitchen (in Richmond I think). The macarons are around the same size as the Cacao macarons, and are $2.50 each.


The five macarons we tried were: ginger and macadamia, violet and blueberry, pistachio, pink grapefruit, and raspberry.

The flavours were delicate and subtler, with the texture more like a traditional meringue. They were also slightly sweeter, the shells were a little crisper with a slightly firmer texture, but they were still chewy although not as chewy as Cacao.


Overall, the group was mixed when it came to whether the subtler flavours were better. Some preferred this with the violet and blueberry preferred over Cacao's violet and blackcurrant because of the subtlety. But on the other hand, the view was expressed that a stronger flavour would have been nicer for the ginger macaron. I tried the pink grapefruit, which had a small air bubble in it, and with my preference for more intense flavours I thought both the pink grapefruit and raspberry needed a little more oomph.

The Hardware Society

The Hardware Society is one of the most popular CBD eateries tucked away in Hardware Lane, and offers macarons cooked on the premises as an after meal treat. The range isn't large at about half a dozen or so, but they're larger than everywhere else I've visited and $2.50 each.


Maybe it was because we visited on a Saturday, only four of Hardware Society's macaron range were available: lime and coconut, lemon, green tea, and passionfruit.


Hardware Society's macarons were good but couldn't compete with the professional macaron makers. Overall, the macarons had pockets of air, were sugary and more biscuit like, and lacked the chewiness I've come to associated with macarons. There was also the suggestion that most of the fillings needed a lift because the filling lacked intensity and needed more 'tang'.

LuxBite

Our last stop was LuxBite in Toorak Road, South Yarra. It was also another place in the Top 20 for Melbourne's Best Macaron 2010 award. LuxBite has around twice as many macarons are the other stores we visited, and it was the only place we could see any baking happening because they're made on the premises. It also sold other bakery items, including a monster macaron ... as if the range of around a dozens macarons wasn't enough. PS They were about $2.50 each.


The five macarons were tried were: white peach and jasmine, Kaya toast, chocolate cherry, salted caramel, and rose and lychee.


The macarons had a lovely crispness, but didn't quite have the chewiness of the macarons from Cacao. The first taste of the Choc Cherry came from the chocolate and it didn't have much cherry, It was, however, liked because of the bits on top. The salted caramel was different to Cacao; rather than the explosion of salt from the top of the macaron this time the salt was included with the ganache and still came with a lovely explosion of taste and chewiness. The texture of the rose and lychee was good, with a subtle, sweet flavour. The kaya toast was the most unusual of the day: the texture was good and came with an excellent filling with a layer of pandan and separate layer of coconut, the only macaron of the day with two different ganache fillings. The white peach and jasmine came with a delicate peach flavour but had little jasmine flavour or aroma, and wasn't very chewy.

Overall
As a dedicated macaron eater, I'd been to all the stores beforehand for several taste tests with the exception of LuxBite. After all, a good hostess trials her recipes before the big day. It was a great day and proved Melbourne can hold its own macaron wise against most. The choice for favourite store of the day came down between Cacao and LuxBite. My choice was Cacao because I love the chewiness of the salted caramel and its explosion of salt, and the depth of taste of the Sumire. Others, however, preferred the macarons at LuxBite were equally good and loved their originality of flavour and the fact there was more to choose from. I'm prepared to revisit ... well, all of them really.

Address

Cacao Fine Chocolates and Patisserie
Ground level, Melbourne GPO
Melbourne 3000
Tel: (03) 9662 4777



La Belle Miette
30 Hardware Lane
Melbourne 3000
Tel: (03) 9024 4528



The Hardware Societe
120 Hardware Lane
Melbourne 3000
Tel: (03) 9078 5992



LuxBite
38 Toorak Road
South Yarra 3141
Tel: (03) 9867 5888

 

Sheni's Curries, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

Two things make this small eatery stand out. Firstly, the impressive list of cheap eats and other awards stickers pasted to the front door. Secondly and more importantly, the line of office workers all the way out the door waiting for their tasty Sri Lankan style curries.


Set mainly below street level and unobtrusive, it would be easy to overlook Sheni's Curries. This would be a big mistake as Sheni's reinforces that sometimes the best things come in small packages.

It's mainly bain marie style food with a few daily specials. On the day that Ms Counting Her Calories and I visited these were the lamb biryani and hoppers. Served with chutney, raita, coconut sambal and a pappadum each, these did not look like much but proved to be some of the tastiest and cheapest curries I've had in town.

To be honest, the fish curry with hoppers didn't look impressive. I initially thought they'd given us the wrong dish, with the hoppers being completed buried under the rice. The fish came as one large piece, dark on the outside and dry looking. However, under its dark shell the fish turned out to be acceptably moist and the accompanying rice really nicely flavoured, spicy without being hot.


My lamb biryani looked the much nicer dish, with the coconut sambal and a small dash of chilli adding to its colourful presentation. Style wise, it's a little different to most biryani that I have had, with more focus on the lamb and less on the rice. Taste wise after finishing I wanted more, with tender lamb complemented by the spices and just a slight chilli kick.


Overall
If you're after tasty food with polite service and very good prices Sheni's is a very good option. You need to get there early, as it's fairly small and long discovered by those working nearby.

Verdict
Food - 7.5
Service - 7
Ambience - 6.5
Price - 8

Address
161 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9654 3535

Red Spice Road, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

The foodies chorus at work was forever singing the praises of Red Spice Road. "You've got to go to Red Spice Road, its great". "Red Spice Road, the pork belly is amazing." Well, after our visit I think they got it about half right.


Lunch started off very promisingly. Booking well ahead and in a small group we managed to avoid the big, slightly impersonal communal table.The interior is open, well furnished with natural light and interestingly decorated. Hanging in the middle of the room is the biggest red lantern I've ever seen in a restaurant, and the pictures of the woman along the wall reflect the fusion style of the restaurant, an Asian theme but in a western style. It's unlikely to be to everyone's taste but I thought it was attractive, well thought out and a great reflection of the restaurant's theme.


The $25 banquet comes with a set appetiser and the choice of three out of five main courses. The appetiser of chicken, smoked eggplant, coriander and lemongrass wrapped in betel leaf was a good way to start the meal. I'd never tried betel leaf before and it added an almost furry texture to a slightly tangy start to the meal. While I thought the flavours could have been turned up a little if its purpose was to get me interested in what was to come it succeeded.


The bit that the chorus got half right was the pork belly. Served with apple slaw, chilli caramel and black vinegar, absolutely delicious. Sweet, thick, juicy, tender, not too fatty, exactly how I like my pork belly. Despite sitting in the sauce it had even managed to retain a degree of crispiness.


The major problem was that the other two dishes weren't able to keep up the same standard. I was hoping that our green papaya salad with snakebeans, peanuts and chilli salad would be a real tastebud tingler to cut through the heaviness of the pork. However it didn't turn out that way, being very mild in flavour to the extent that the chilli was almost unnoticeable.


The story with the chicken kung-po, with chilli, cashews, green onion, soy and rice wine was very similar. I'm used to this being quite a fiery dish and normally with peanuts rather than cashews. I didn't like this version much at all, finding the sauce a bit heavy and lacking any real fire. Not at all what I wanted from a dish I normally like.


Overall
Such a disappointing finish after the promising start, its hard to know what else to say about our meal here. Servings were generous, I loved the atmosphere of where we sat, the first couple of dishes were great but the last two quite ordinary. I'd like to go back but would probably avoid the banquet next time to see if I could find some other things on the menu more to my taste.

One minor point about the service, this was another of those restaurants where, after you finish your meal, it took ages to get the wait staff's attention to ask for the bill.

Verdict
Food - 7
Ambience - 8 (probably lower around the table)
Service - 6.5
Price - 7

Address
27 McKillop St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: 03 9603 1601

Court House Hotel, North Melbourne by Big Fil

The Court House is one of the best known gastropubs in Melbourne. With an Age Good Food Guide rated restaurant and counter type meals at the front bar, it now also does an English style Sunday roast lunch.


Our lunch was served in a small upstairs room, well lit with natural light, white painted walls and bare wooden floorboards. Other than the moderately weird view through some partially open curtains into an old bathroom, first impressions were good. Nice space, sparsely decorated with tasteful decor, professional staff who seemed keen to be of assistance, tables not too close together.


The roasts are effectively typical home style roasts but prepared to restaurant standards. My roast pork came with roasted potatoes and fennel, and a ring of char grilled apple. The pork was moist and slightly salty tasting, the crackling firm but not hard. What I enjoyed most though was the roast fennel, not a vegetable you see all that often but slightly sweet and with a strong but delicate flavour.


The roast beef came with roast vegetables and fresh horseradish. Of the two serves of beef one of us felt theirs was spot on,the other that it still had a tinge of pink but was marginally overdone. But what we were most interested in (other than the beef) was the Yorkshire Pudding. This was good if not as puffy as it could have been, being slightly soggy from the gravy.


The roast lamb on the other hand was wonderfully tender and flavoursome,the mint sauce made using pureed mint leaves and unlike the normal mint vinaigrette you often get. The roast potato and parsnip were very good and while served without gravy this was more than compensated for by the juices from the meat.


The fish and chips of the day was Blue Grenadier. The beer battered fish was well cooked and served with a subtle tartar sauce and a slice of lemon. The chips were large and regularly shaped, stacked in what looked a little like blocks of lego. Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, what good chips should be. Served with mushy peas, the only real criticism was that the size of the serve could have been more generous given the price.


Unfortunately after the mains things headed down hill a little. By this stage the room was full and given the bare floors and lack of furnishings it became noisier than you'd expect in a restaurant. Secondly, while the quality of the mains was high, two of the three desserts were a bit of a let down.

Easily the best of the desserts was the bitter chocolate torte, with its intense chocolate flavour served with cream and crushed nuts.


On the other hand, the sticky date pudding with Baileys icecream looked the part but turned out less moist and sticky than it should have been. Not dry but starting to head that way.


The crumble of the day was apple and rhubarb. While it might have been to some diner's taste I found it too sweet and lacking in texture, with the fruit pureed rather than in pieces and the crumble layer (my favourite part) too thin.


Given the desserts were at restaurant prices I would have hoped for something better.

Overall
A mixed bag really. The mains were good to very good but the desserts weren't up to the same standard. Service was good but as the room became more crowded it became harder to hold a conversation across the table, certainly harder than you'd expect in a restaurant type environment. I'm also not sure about the whole concept of a restaurant roast.Certainly it's a major jump in standard from the normal dried out pub carvery, but I think from a restaurant I'm looking more for something I couldn't do myself, rather than a slightly better version of something I could produce at home. Overall I'd be happy to return to The Court House but I'd try the Front Bar next time. But that may just be more me.

Verdict
Food - 7.5
Service - 8
Ambience - 6.5
Price - 6.5

Address
86-90 Errol Street
North Melbourne Vic 3051
Tel: (03) 9329 5394

Ghin Khao, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

Swanston Street between Bourke Street Mall and Latrobe Street has a plethora of cheap Asian eateries. Most commonly these are Chinese or Vietnamese, but there are a couple of Thai places including Ghin Khao. Snooze was keen to try somewhere close to work so it was time to visit this cheap and colourful looking restaurant.


I liked the inside, brightly lit with minimalist decorations on one side, mirrors on the other. Nice chairs as well, well set out for a cheaper end eatery. It also comes with maybe the largest menus I have ever seen, big enough to hide behind while trying to make up your mind what to order.


I've often seen son-in-law eggs on various menus and was keen to give them a try. These were boiled eggs that are then deep fried, topped with minced prawn and tamarind sauce. Interesting texture,mainly sweet with a hint of sourness, a good way to start off our lunch.


Both of us were keen to try out the spicy green papaya salad. This came with dried shrimp and peanuts, and a lime and chilli dressing. While it looked good on the plate taste wise it was a little disappointing and sweeter than expected.


Best dish we ordered though was the bean sprout and grilled chicken salad wrapped in eggnet. Bean sprouts, grilled chicken and thai herbs tossed in lime juice, tamarind juice and coconut cream, the only reason I ordered this was because the photo of the menu looked so interesting. Softer in flavour than the other dishes, sweet and creamy with little tamarind or lime juice sourness, it was very easy to eat.


To finish off we ordered the banana, sticky rice and black beans wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Very starchy, both Snooze and myself had the same strange initial reaction to this. First impressions weren't that impressive, just that it was a mass of warm starch. However, as we ate more of it the banana and bean flavours started to come through. Nothing special, but intriguing enough to try again.


Overall
Not a bad spot for a quick lunch, the food came out pretty quickly and was reasonably tasty. It doesn't compare with Cookie next door, but prices are lower and you don't need to book ahead. My only caveat is for the quality it's not particularly cheap - I don't think we felt it was overpriced but nor was it was any bargain either.

Verdict
Food - 7
Ambience - 7.5
Service - 6.5
Price - 6

Address
242 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: 03 9663 3345