Chef's Tandoor, Surrey Hills by Obelix

I am what's to the subcontinent as a Francophile is to France.  I love the rich culture, the cuisine and the people.  As a result, I seem to consume an inordinate amount of Indian, especially takeaway, see Saffron House; Jaimin house; Dosa Plaza.  The aromas are absolutely enticing especially when takeaway is being ferried home in the confines of my car.  The only problem with Indian takeaway is that it does not particularly photograph well in the sense that many of the dishes end up looking very indistinct.  Curry in a plastic takeaway container may not be crowned Miss Photogenic, but the following dishes from Chef's Tandoor would win Miss Congeniality, for sure.

Tandoori mushrooms

The Turkish Tea House, Balwyn by Obelix

When it comes to food presentation, the Turks and the Japanese have got this in the bag.  I find the food just taste so much better when presented on the most liveliest plates and platters and exquisite metal ware.


Kiddo and I took her grandparents out for brunch at The Turkish Tea House and there was something for everyone there.

Flake Attack, Mount Waverley by Bureaucrat

I always find it's like a game of Russian roulette when it comes to fish and chip shops... you walk into a chippy and you never know whether the fare will be as good as there were back in them good ol' days: fresh fish with a golden, crispy batter; chips done to perfection; and above all else, despite both the fish and chips being cooked in vats of boiling oil, they mustn't be greasy.  What puts me off getting f&c more often is that I get served defrosted fish fillets that are encased in a thick, greasy batter that's been cooked in not-too-fresh oil.


A recent craving for f&c led me to try out Flake Attack.  I believe this is a chain of fish and chipperies.  The online reviews for the place seemed okay and not overly negative.  

Son of Tucci, Mount Waverley by Bureaucrat

Mr and Mrs Tucci must be proud - their son knows how to revamp a sleepy suburban shopfront into a buzzing, contemporary cafe that serves great food and coffee.  It's easily the most popular cafe in the Mt Waverley shopping village and a trailblazer for the area when it comes to upping the ante on the cafe offerings in the area.

Feeling ever so hungry, the Lawyer and I both went for the burger option.  It was a gorgeously thick, homemade beef patty that was loaded with chopped onions in the mince.  It was pan fried to perfection - the middle was still juicy and the outside had all them lovely crusty bits.  Combined with lots of oozy melted cheese, fresh salad this was a finger-licking good burger.  Plus, the chunky wedges were some of the best I've had - thick, waxy on the inside and with a lovely crispness.  Yum, yum, yum - our compliments to the chef!

Castello Burger Blue Launch (by invitation), by Obelix

I love a good burger and the makers of Castello Blue have come up with the ultimate of bringing the umani flavours of blue cheese to a burger. Castello Burger Blue is a pre-sliced blue cheese with a slightly different formulation to the regular Castello Blue. The net effect? A slice of blue cheese which is not a crumbly mess designed to drape lovingly on a pattie and with an adjusted mellower flavour which wont overpower the rest of the burger. Brilliant.

We were lucky to be invited to the launch held at Easey's Burgers. A apt location for the #builtwithblue burger night. We got to build our own burgers with ingredients which complemented blue cheese.


The burger I built was filled with of course, #castelloburgerblue and Waldorf salad and sauteed mushrooms.

Dolce House Gelato, McKinnon by Bilby Blue

Who would have thought we would find a gelato gem in a tiny McKinnon shopping strip? Not just a gelato gem but a great dessert café! Our original plan was just to try the gelato, but once we saw the range of gelato-inspired desserts on the menu we knew we had to return for a second visit.

Said yummy desserts - Belgian waffle

Meatworks Steak Out, Brighton by Bureaucrat

It's a real pity that there aren't many proper bookstores around anymore.  So I found myself in Brighton again - this time I was on the hunt to add to my collection of Peanuts books.  While I wasn't able to locate my beloved comics, I did, however, zero in on a very delicious lunch.  You're spoilt for choice when it comes to dining options in the Brighton shopping precinct.  There are very smart cafes and very la-di-dah (yet not overly stuffy) restaurants abound. However, I eschewed all of them fancy eateries for Meatworks Steak Out - a butcher's shop cum takeaway outlet.  I couldn't ignore the incredibly delicious aroma of grilled meats and onions wafting down the street.  Better yet was the fact that because Meatworks is an upmarket butcher's shop that the meat on offer included gourmet offerings, such as wagyu mince and grain-fed beef.  Best of all, you could get a substantial, fresh lunch for $10... score!


I chose the pepper steak roll.  A delicious soft roll that was stuffed with lots of tender beef and caramelised onions.  What I also liked was that the meat was cooked-to-order, so it was nice and fresh and piping hot. Add fresh salad to it, and you've got a meal! I wolfed this down plenty quick. The price also comes with your choice of drink (can of soda or water).

Sunday Hawker Feast at Okra (by invitation), Hawthorn East by Bilby Blue

I love Malaysian food. Over many, many visits to Kuala Lumpur I have eaten a goodly amount of the local specialities, in particular the hawker-style dishes that are available everywhere, from the swankiest hotels to the humblest of street vendors. So Benny and I were very excited when we were invited to the Malaysian hawker feast at Okra (available only on Sundays, for both lunch and dinner).

The epitome of hawker food...the satay...

Leroy's Cafe, Newport (by invitation) by Foghorn Leghorn

Running a cafe must be a headache. Some customers like dogs, others don't. Some customers have noisy young children, other customers want peace and quiet. How do you satisfy everyone?

Leroy's Cafe in Newport does a good job of catering to different groups. Indoors has a pleasant buzz and is relatively peaceful. Outdoors (under a roof and securely enclosed) is noisy and child-friendly.

The menu is a similar balancing act to satisfy different customer needs. There are menu items with granola, kale and smashed avocado - if that's your thing. There are also some meaty offerings, which were of much more interest to me and Zed, my lunch companion. We discussed who would have the Weekend Warrior, and who would select the McLeroy Burger.


Zed started with a soup of the day - zucchini and blue cheese. Quite good, he said, but I was saving my appetite for the main course.

Big Mummas Pizza, Surrey Hills by Obelix

Fusion cuisine is so common place in the fine dining area that it considered de rigueur. I must admit my curiosity was piqued when I stumbled across Big Mummas Pizza which served home styled Moroccan cuisine alongside regular suburban styled pizzas. 

Big Mummas is owned by a Moroccan husband and wife team who merged Moroccan flavours into their pizzas alongside delicious traditional Moroccan tagines.


Case in point was their Chicken Safi pizza. This was a chicken pizza but instead of the regular passata sauce, it had a Moroccan flavoured sauce with chermoula and topped with yoghurt. It was a twist on the familiar. Very popular with Kiddo who declared it tasted better the next day. We have had it many times since.

Italian Chef, South Yarra (by invitation) by Benny

It’s a cool Friday evening in South Yarra, and we are in the very capable and friendly hands of our waiter Giuseppe. Giuseppe is not just a good waiter; he is a great waiter. He knows each of the dishes on the menu intimately – how it is cooked, its key ingredients and flavours. Most importantly, he passionately engages with diners to discern their tastes and culinary desires to make perfect recommendations. Bilby Blue and I are here by invitation and our fascinating discussion ranges widely over traditional Italian cuisine, the corruption of those traditions (think pineapple on pizza and parmesan on seafood pasta), and that innovation need not corrupt a cuisine, but can honour tradition.

Slow cooked pork belly with truffle and mash

Chopstick Delight, Mulgrave by Obelix

I put great stock into the restaurant recommendations by retirees. Why? Because they usually have more time to explore and quite often than not, their finds are along the lines of cheap and cheerful, which is right up my alley. Chopstick Delight is one of those recommendations from my mother-in-law and partner. This was a case of not judging a book by its cover. It looks straight out of a 1970s movie set of what Hollywood thinks a Chinese restaurant should look like. You get my drift? (scroll down for last pic to see how the image you have conjured in your mind's eye stacks up). With a facade like that, I was half expecting the place to exist on a slow trade of Chop Suey. 

The biggest scallops I have ever seen...

JD's Burgers, Mont Albert by Benny

A feeling of déjà vu envelops us as we eagerly munch into these absolutely fantastic burgers. Although none of us have ever eaten at JD’s before (in its former premises in Kew, or here, right next to the Mont Albert railway station), we have certainly sampled these wonderful ‘Asian fusion’ flavours before; but where?

Broadhands, Bilby Blue and I are on a mission – to explore one of the worst kept secrets in Melbourne’s elite burger scene: the connection between JD’s Burgers in Mont Albert and Burger Block in Kew. Both have excellent reputations and both proudly promote their ‘unique Asian fusion’ flavours. Indeed, they are owned and operated by a brother (Daniel, the ‘D’ in JD’s) and sister (Brenda of Burger Block) and there are many similarities in their menus and flavours, but whatever the family dynamics, the winners are Melbourne’s connoisseurs of fine burgers.

Lickings Fine Ice Cream, Brighton by Bureaucrat

The Lawyer have taken to wandering around the nicer suburban high streets/shopping precincts as part of our ongoing search for our next property acquisition (this sentence makes us sound much more prosperous than we're really are! :P ).  So one early evening we were wandering around upmarket Church Street, Brighton, whereupon we spotted Lickings Fine Ice Cream.


It's a rather big hole-in-the-wall sort of place with very tempting ice cream and sorbet flavours on offer.  Although I was still full from dinner, I had to try it out.  I just had to try the salted caramel ice cream and the white peach sorbet.  The salted caramel had a nice strong salty kick, while the white peach (my favourite of the two) was refreshing and aromatically peachy.