Mr Nice Guy, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

With Ms Ruby Grapefruit heading off to Bali for a couple of weeks it was decided a lunchtime bon voyage was in order.  I’d had my eye on Mr Nice Guy for a while, located a few minutes from work in the much underappreciated precinct of Healeys Lane.  Opened by the same guys as Middle Fish (see Snooze's review in February 2012) in Carlton it had looked really nice the few times I’d walked past, and being Thai promised a few decent options for the vegetarian Ms No Meat.

First impressions of Mr Nice Guy were excellent.  Greetings are friendly and the set out of the restaurant warm and colourful.  A little squishy perhaps but just loved the tables, the open kitchen and the bustling but not rushed atmosphere.  The water brought to our table came with cute Thai style metal glasses and the menu had enough variety that we were all able to pick something to our tastes. 

First up and probably the best dish of the day was my massaman curry.  Associated with Muslims this is usually (always?) made with beef and potato in a spiced but not chilli hot coconut based sauce.   Served with rice which is perfect for soaking up the sauce, it’s a slightly sweet, comforting food type of dish which at its best has a surprisingly complex flavour.  The (wagyu neck) beef was tender, the sauce creamy, the expression on my face happy as I slowly ate my lunch.  Snooze, who also tried it, described it as better than her choice.

Which brings us to her green curry chicken.  It’s not something I usually order but was recommended by Ms No Meat (based on a very good vegetarian version at her local).  Both Snooze and I found it kind of bland in flavour.  I am hardly an expert on Thai green curry, but I was expecting more depth to the flavour.

Ms Ruby Grapefruit decided to go with the som tum salad, adding grilled chicken breast pieces.  Now while som tum is a green papaya based salad it’s not your regular salad, with strong flavours and a real slow build up chilli punch.  While I didn’t sample it Mr Nice Guy’s version appeared to be comparatively tame.  Ms Ruby did comment that she enjoyed it though, and the pieces of chicken certainly looked beautifully moist.

Ms No Meat tossed up a few options before deciding on the Salad Puk, smoky tofu and vegetables with satay sauce.  Talking to her about it while everything was fresh and she enjoyed it, it was fairly average with no noticeable smokiness to the tofu or anything to make the salad shine.

Overall

A very nice place to eat with friendly staff who had our dishes at our table quickly and with a minimum of fuss.  The food itself was good without being great, possibly toned down in flavours a little to accommodate local tastes.  Somewhere that I liked the little things so much I want to return to see if I can find a favourite dish on the menu.

Verdict

Food – 7
Service – 8
Ambiance – 8.5
Price – 7

Address

Enter Via Healeys Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9973 1761

China Bar Signature, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

The China Bar franchise is dotted all across town.  Certainly, I’ve been to a few CBs and I’d classify them as a “only if you’ve got nowhere else to eat” sort of place.

 

As such, I’ve been skeptical of the China Bar Signature restaurants.  There’s only three or four of them around town and they’re a buffet style restaurant.  My standards for buffet dining is pretty high.  I’m willing to spend top dollar for a luxe and lavish and luscious buffet (think: Collins Kitchen and the Conservatory).  However, I’m wary of the places that claim to offer the same gastronomical experiences for a cheaper price.  To me, that’s code for “we’ll over charge you for average quality food”.

 

So, as such, I’ve never felt tempted to try CBS – definitely not at full price.  So when Beaker kindly offered a two for one dining voucher for us to use, I thought, it’s now or never.  The CBS in the city is fairly big and is split over two levels. 

 

The good thing is that there’s lots of options (there’s more seafood options at dinner, but the prices are more expensive), including about a dozen hot bain marie dishes, salad stuff, a range of deep fried things (spring rolls, curry puffs, etc) and...

 

...a cook to order noodle and vegetable station...

 

...an array of individual serves of dim sum...

 

...sushi bar...

 

....Asian style desserts.

 

The following are some photos of the food we picked out.  I wasn't terribly impressed at the quality - everything was saltier and greasier than I would prefer.  The dumplings were okay but nothing exceptional. 

 

My cook-to-order char kwai teoh was good but quite salty.  Although you can pick how much noodles and ingredients you want for your serve, it doesn't really matter.  I had originally asked for a serve that's about a third of the amount that's on this plate.  It turns out that the chefs just add more noodles/ingredients so that it's easier for them to cook.  I find this pretty pointless since I didn't finish the noodles and they went to waste - especially considering there are lots of signs around asking diners not to waste food.

 

Bubba Chuck's favourite was the century year old and salted egg congee.  A nice smooth rice congee, but dearie me, you can hardly find any century year old or salted egg in it.  And, it was laced with MSG.

 

I didn't really eat that much of the savoury dishes.  So I soon started on the desserts.  While there's quite a range of individual serve desserts, they're not very good.  All the mousse-based desserts were not real mousse - rather, they all had an unappetizing gelatinous texture to it. 

 

Some of the desserts appeared to be pre-made, prepackaged and/or defrosted items.  I just had a tiny taste of each and gave up trying any more of the desserts.  The only good thing was the fruit. 

 

We also got some drinks to go with our meal.  Bubba Chuck got the freshly squeezed orange juice (I think it was $8).

 

And I shared some of Beaker's tea.

 

Verdict

Food - 6
Ambiance - 7
Service - 7
Price - 5

 

Overall

I can't say I like CBS.  Despite the range of dishes available, I left still feeling hungry.  Food court quality food at fine dining prices.  I definitely wouldn't pay full price for this.

 

Address

China Bar Signature

222 Exhibition Street

Melbourne 3000

Telephone: 9988 7778

 

 

Workshop Brothers Specialty Coffee, Glen Huntly by Big Fil

It’s a little weird.  Travel all over Melbourne to try out different places but then I ignore what’s in my own backyard.  Top of the list would have to be Workshop Brothers Specialty Coffee, a nice, friendly and definitely on trend cafe located just around the corner from home.

While I have heard positive comments about the coffee here, not being a coffee drinker I can’t really comment on this.  For me it’s always about the food.  On the few times I have been Workshop Brothers has always seemed to have one of the more interesting menus around. 


When the one page menu contains options such as a Moroccan lamb and cous cous salad, soft shell crab tacos and ricotta hotcakes with sour cherry coulis and orange blossom mascarpone, and they are not amongst the options tried, you know the choices are good.


For example, quinoa and parmesan fritters with salmon gravalax, avocado, poached eggs and dill hollandaise.  Nice fresh sliced avocado, perfectly poached eggs and the salmon are all very good, but it was the fritters that really piqued my interest.  Milder in flavour than I’d expected from a dish with parmesan, they provided an interesting textural contrast to the softer eggs and avocado.


I was also unable to go past the ‘Workshop Weapon’, a wagyu beef patty in a brioche bun with pickled onion, cheddar cheese and chipotle mayo, served with hand cut chips and enlived by the addition of the optional bacon.  Nicely cooked, quite creamy and with a reasonably meaty flavour, it was a good hamburger without matching the heights of a couple of other recently tried places.  The  pickles though raise the whole thing up a notch, cutting through the sweetness of the burger, and the chips are properly chunky, crispy outside and fluffy in the middle.

Overall
Workshop Brothers is a very good local café.  Clean light minimalist interior, a few outside tables for diners with four legged companions and friendly staff makes it a popular place that a peak times you may need to either reserve a table before hand or wait until one becomes free. 

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

Address
1146 Glen Huntly Road
Glen Huntly VIC 3163
Tel: (03) 9078 9055

2Pocket Fairtrade Espresso Bar, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

With a tip from an unlikely source, Mr C, I wandered down to 2Pocket to check out its coffee and tea.  As an occasional coffee drinker, Mr C quite likes 2Pocket as it’s nearby to work and has a nice atmosphere to chillax.

Indeed, the place has a warm and mellow atmosphere to it – the quiet clink of hot beverages being made; friendly, hipster staff to recommend a drink to you; the hushed hum of conversation from the students and office workers enjoying their aromatic brew.  While 2Pocket is located at the street level, the actual café is sunken, which gives the feeling that you’re bunkering down and cocooned from the world.  Time slows down.


Based on the recommendations of the staff, I got myself a soy chai latte.  Properly brewed with tea leaves and strong in punchy aromatics, the chai was sweetened with a hint of local honey.

Verdict
Drinks – 8.5
Ambiance – 7
Service – 8
Price – 7.5

Overall
A lovely spot this is.  I’d definitely go back for more chai and I also want to try out their coffees.  I also love browsing their range of chocolates and Fairtrade and/or organic knick knacks (from soft furnishings, toys to make up).

Address
2Pocket Fairtrade Espresso Bar
277 Lt Lonsdale St
Melbourne 3000

Ripponlea Food and Wine, Ripponlea by Big Fil

What is it with Ripponlea?  Once very much a dead spot in the culinary scene, it now has no less than four classy cafes for brunch, an excellent bakery and of course one of the best restaurants in the world in Attica.  That’s the places I’ve noticed anyway, dazzled by this abundance of riches I am sure there are other places that I’ve missed.

Prior to this visit I hadn’t even heard of Ripponlea Food and Wine.  We were actually tossing up between visiting two other cafes, but there was something about it we just couldn’t ignore.  In addition to looking great from the outside, they had us at ‘goats cheese soufflé’. Anyway when we entered the place was surprisingly almost empty compared to the roaring business its neighbours were doing.  Slightly ominous but staff were friendly and enthusiastic and we were soon sitting at our window seat.


The menu had a few interesting options but both Snooze and myself were eyeing off the soufflé.  Being the gentleman that I am I decided to let Snooze order it, knowing that I would get a taste anyway.  For some reason I was also fixated on the ham and cheese jaffle.  Knowing that it wouldn’t be enough to fill me up but not wanting to commit to too large a breakfast meant that I also decided to order the breakfast tortilla wrap.


When Snooze’s soufflé arrived I think we were both taken a little aback.  Both of us had expected the soufflé to be served in a high sided dish.  Instead it was almost like pikelets in size and shape.  Taste and texture wise though these were yummy, warm and fluffy, creamy in texture and delicate in flavour.  Combined with fresh mashed avocado, earthy mushrooms and quality bread (courtesy of Firebrand Sourdough around the corner) they were a winner which both of us enjoyed.


Fortunately the jaffle and wrap were both good enough that I was not left feeling at all jealous.  The jaffle was perfectly cooked, the filling delicious.  I am not always the biggest fan of breakfast wraps but this was bursting was flavour, tasty and satisfying, even if I did end up with a little trickle from the salsa running down my arm.

The cakes at the counter looked good but were unfortunately a bit beyond us this day.  While it’s a bit of a distance to walk from home, I expect that I’ll be back to try more of the breakfast menu, just to confirm that the other offerings are as good, and that the friendly efficient service is how it is everyday and not just on this visit.





Overall
Very nice food, excellent service and a very cute outfit including the nice touch of blankets for the outside tables, Ripponlea Food and Wine was one of our most enjoyable brunches since we started the blog.  Haven’t yet tried for lunch or dinner but hopefully they are just as good, making it a great addition to an increasingly competitive strip.

Verdict
Food – 8.5
Service – 8.5
Ambience – 8.5
Price – 7.5

Address
15 Glen Eira Rd
Ripponlea VIC 3185
Tel: (03) 8804 1313

Nikos Quality Cakes, Oakleigh by Big Fil

Nikos Quality Cakes certainly makes a big impression, with its large store frontage and sidewalk tables.  Walking past the windows checking out the biscuits and cakes a quick decision was made to return after eating something more substantial at Orexi.

While Nikos does offer regular cafe fare it was sugar and custard cravings we were looking to satisfy.  Choosing a table our selection of three was soon on its way – a Monte Carlo type biscuit, a baklava and a custard pastry square the name of which I missed.


First up was the Monte Carlo biscuit.  With a slightly crumbly texture and sweet jam filling, I thought this would make a good accompaniment to a coffee or hot chocolate.  Snooze however was more luke warm about it, and I think thought it could have been more generous with the jam. 


Second sweet to be tried was our baklava.  Snooze and I have different views on baklava.  I am not generally a huge fan, put off I suspect by far too many oversweet versions, where the syrup just dominated everything.  Snooze though is a big fan of this sweet, nutty pastry.  I thought Nikos version was one of the better I have tried, the pastry crispy and not too sweet.


Final cake was a bit of a guilty pleasure.  I love Greek style custard pastries, the smooth cool custard combined with flaky pastry.  The only thing which can kill thee for me is soggy pastry, which was not a problem here.  One thing though (Snooze’s fault) is turning the pastry on the side, to make it easier to cut for sharing, resulted in a shower of icing sugar across the table which was moderately embarrassing.

On the whole I thought Nikos’ cakes were pretty good.  Other aspects of the cafe were a bit of a letdown though.  Service was not particularly friendly, as sighing when we are taking a few seconds to make up our minds on what to order doesn’t leave a good impression.  Secondly, while nice outside the inside is quite generic and nothing to write home about.  I also found it a little more expensive than similar places around town.



Overall
Nice cakes but it’s the other little things which let the side down a bit.

Verdict
Food – 7.5
Service – 6
Ambience – 6.5
Price – 6

Address
25 Portman St
Oakleigh VIC 3166
Tel: (03) 9569 9802

Cafe Vue, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

Trying to eat healthy and saving money by bringing food to work is all well and good, but every now and then I need to treat myself to something a bit more pricey, a bit more luxe than what I’d normally eat.

 

When it comes to setting the bar for luxeness in food in Melbourne, Vue de Monde comes to mind.  However, while I would love to skive off work for a few hours to enjoy a long lunch and set my personal record of the most expensive work day lunch, I opted for the moderately priced option of Café Vue on Little Collins Street.

 

With Ms H to join me, we were keen to try the fabled lunch boxes on offer.  However, as the lunch boxes change each week, we weren’t so keen on the particular lunch box that was offered on the week we went.  Instead, we both went for burgers.

 

I went for the barramundi burger w house fries ($18).  Appearances can be deceiving.  The burgers look small, but they’re definitely big.  A squat, fat, juicy burger made out of barra.  The outside was deliciously crispy and had a nice crust, but the inside was filled with juicy, sweet fish with lots of aromatic herbs.  I really loved how it was made from fresh fish.  A rich lovely mayo, crisp lettuce and a light, fluffy bun topped it off. 

 

The fries had the skin on, and I think they were double fried.  While I thought I’d be able to finish my plate, I couldn’t – it’s a hefty barra patty, lots of fries and everything is quite decadently rich.

 

Ms H went for the Blackmore wagyu beef burger w bacon and house fries ($19).  An equally fat and juicy burger which she really enjoyed.  As with me, as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t finish her plate.

 

Verdict

Food – 8.5
Ambiance – 7
Service – 7
Price – 7.5

 

Overall
We really enjoyed our burgers and would definitely go back to try the lunch boxes.  The food is a bit more pricey than your typical work day lunch, but it’s totally worth it for a treat.  You’re definitely paying for quality here. 

 

As we seated inside in the small dining area, the tables are a bit small and squishy, and it’s kinda dark inside.  However, I reckon if you were sitting in the hallway or the outdoor area, it’d be a more spacious and bright.

 

Address

Café Vue
430 Lt Collins St
Melbourne 3000
Telephone: 9691 3888

 

Orexi Souvlaki Bar Cafe, Oakleigh by Big Fil

As Footscray is associated with Vietnamese food, and Coburg with Lebanese and Turkish, you can associate Oakleigh with Greek food.  Greek style sweets, souvlaki bars, men (generally, before more families started to appear later in the morning) sitting in cafes drinking strong cups of coffee, you don’t hear much about Oakleigh but Eaton Mall would have to be one of the more vibrant suburban enclaves in Melbourne.  It felt like ages since we had last popped in but with a hankering for souvlaki it was off to Oakleigh we went.

Given that we hadn’t picked out anywhere in particular to try the first thing Snooze and I did was take a leisurely stroll around the shopping strip.  At just after 9am the shops were just starting to come to life, people were out doing their grocery shopping and we were able to sample some mighty fine chicken and herb sausages complements of a butchers at the indoor food market.

Eventually though stomach grumbles started to be heard and it was time to pick somewhere to eat.  Wandering around we saw a few places that looked ok without anywhere particularly standing out.  Eventually we settled on Orexi Souvlaki Bar Cafe, and I am very glad we did.


From a first glance nothing really distinguishes Orexi from most souvlaki joints around town.  I am not really sure why we chose it.  The lamb though, oh the lamb.  It’s one of the simpler style of souvlaki, not too many ingredients or sauce, which is good in that allows the quality of the lamb to shine through.  By the way, did I mention I liked the lamb in my souvlaki?

Cut thicker than normal, what this allows is a contrasting texture between a slightly crunchy outer layer and a soft, moist inner layer.  Beautiful rich lamb flavours in a nice, stiffer than usual bread, the only slight negative was the way the sauce soaked and leaked through the middle of the bread, leading to a careless case of sauce-in-lap-idis.  I was enjoying it so much at the time though that I didn’t mind.  As Snooze said, I simply inhaled this.


Snooze’s mixed dips on the other hand were a bit of a mixed deal, a case of the ordinary, the good and the very good.  The ordinary was the avocado dip, overly liquid and lacking any real flavour.  The good was the eggplant dip, with a well balanced flavour and slightly chunky consistency.  Outstanding though was the tangy hummus, which I was forced to finish off to allow Snooze to preserve room for later sweets.  Yuummyyy.



Overall
Nothing flash but deliciousness in a wrap.  Rumour has it the chicken souvlaki is equally as good as the lamb.  While I find that hard to believe confirmation either way will need to wait for another day.  Service is fine if more functional than friendly, and prices are reasonable.

Verdict
Food – 8.5 (let down by the avocado dip)
Service – 6.5
Ambience – 8 (in the mall)
Price - 7

Address
3/18 Eaton Street
Oakleigh VIC 3166
Tel: (03) 9569 1151

BangPop, South Wharf by Bureaucrat

On a cold wintry night, Ruby Grapefruit, Big Fil and I met up with Elisa from Nouveau Potato and two of her friends for dinner at BangPop.  We picked this place based on its location – as we all were meeting up for dinner during the week.

Up until this point, I had never been to South Wharf before – there’s water, bridges, apartments and collection of upmarket-ish restaurants and pubs.  It’s very reminiscent of Canary Wharf in London – where I spent two cold years. BP is a pretty big restaurant – we estimate that they can easily accommodate over 100 diners.  I quite like the design of the place – the warm candle light, the mosaic of colourful tiles, mirrors, the high, lofty ceilings and the muted rhythms of music in the background. 


We eschewed the starters and got straight into the mains.  Pad ka'nha moo krob is a stir fried broccoli dish with these delightfully moreish crispy pork belly 'croutons' tossed through w oyster sauce, garlic and chilli ($18.90).  You can't quite see the pork in the photos as they're hidden by the veg.  They were more like reasonably thick-ish slices of pork rather than crouton in size.


The pad pak tofu - stir fried tofu w gai lan, baby corn, wood ear mushrooms, beanshoots and chilli ($20.90) - was very fresh and crunchy.


I saw gaeng som pak - orange veg curry ($15.90) - on the menu and had to order it.  I've never come across an orange curry before.  It was quite sour in flavor (gets the tastebuds going!) w pumpkin, baby corn, woodear mushrooms, snake beans and Thai basil .


The pad thai ($15.90) was good but probably the least interesting dish of the night.  We got a plain pad thai (it can come with chicken or seafood) but that's not to say that it's a true vegetarian dish as it has dried shrimp in it.


The gaeng on nua - Lanna beef curry w snake beans, kaffir lime, galangal and chilli ($24.90) - was really aromatic.  As it was brought to our table, you could smell the anise/licorice wafting from the fennel fronds that was the garnish to the dish.


The khao kai yang nam prik - half a grilled chook w sticky rice, chilli relish and papaya salad ($28.90) - was quite impressive to behold.  By memory, the dish is for two.  Tender, juicy chook with a crunchy, spicy papaya salad (I didn't even dare to try the chilli relish).


We also got some large serves of rice to go with our meal ($5.90).

Although we were all quite full, I was keen to try dessert.  As is often the case, if one person is brave/greedy enough to have dessert, others will follow.  So even those that insisted that they wouldn't have dessert ended up ordering something.


Ruby Grapefruit was the only one that ordered the coconut jelly, which is comprised of young coconut jelly w coconut flesh and toasted coconut ($8.90).  We loved the presentation of it and it was a nice, generous, individual serve.


The rest of us went for the Thai style tapioca ($10.90).  This was big!  It's practically a meal in of itself - it can be easily be eaten by three people.  A big bowl of tapioca w pandan, mango sorbet and lemongrass syrup.  As much as I liked it, I couldn't finish it off.


For drinks, pretty much everyone except me got the raspberry bomb mocktail.  I think Ruby was the first person to order it and when we saw how delicious it looked, everyone had to get one for themselves.  It's made up of raspberry, lime w ginger beer ($8).





Verdict
Food – 8.5
Ambiance – 8.5
Service – 8
Price – 7.5

Overall
I quite like BP.  I quite like that it has a fairly extensive menu of Thai dishes that you don’t usually see in restaurants here in Melbourne.  I also like the fact that they’ve added a twist of fusion for some of the dishes. 

All of the dishes are characterised by strong wok hei and robust flavours.  Serving size is fairly reasonable - they're bigger than I expected (since in my experience, serving sizes at Thai places can tend to be on the small side).  Most of the dishes have chilli in it - and some of the really nice ones had a lot of chilli, which made it difficult for me to properly enjoy them.  Having said that, there are enough non-chilli dishes on the menu, too.  Also, there's a reasonable range of vegetarian options.

The food comes out promptly and the service is friendly.  Although we tried quite a few dishes, there’s still a few more that I want to go back and try.

I reckon BP's a great place for a drink or a meal – the place just has a really nice vibe to it.  It’s kind of like being at someone’s swish and big apartment.  It’s surprisingly easy to get to.  It’s just opposite Crown casino, and there’s a tram stop just near by.

Address
BangPop
36 South Wharf Promenade
South Wharf 3006
Telephone: 9245 9800