Banoi, Melbourne by Rockstar

I love Vietnamese food. I’ve often thought if I had to choose only one cuisine to have for the rest of my life, Vietnamese would be up there. Maybe because there’s so much variety. 

Salt and pepper chicken ribs

I’m pretty pleased to have Banoi right behind work... but I'm not always pleased when it’s so popular that you can’t always pop in and get a table! I’m loving their recently updated menu. There’s the healthy tasty options and then there’s the deliciously decadent comfort food in case it’s been one of those day where only fried chicken can make it better.

Little River Hotel, Little River by Foghorn Leghorn

Little River is a speck on the map between Melbourne and Geelong, but it has a couple of claims to fame. It gave its name to the Little River Band, and it was a filming location for the first Mad Max movie.


Lamb shanks

Mrs Shiraz and I occasionally go for a stroll in the You Yangs, and the closest place to eat afterwards is the Little River Hotel. It’s a country-style pub, similar to what you’ll find in small towns much further from Melbourne.

Chef Lagenda, Hawthorn by Rockstar

Winter in Melbourne leaves me craving a particular type of food - I want comfort and warmth. Chef Lagenda Malaysian Kitchen was recommended by my friend as a place we could catch up for noodles on a Saturday night. Luckily she booked as even at 6:30 pm it was pleasantly busy. 

Vegetarian laksa

Our first offered table was up front near the door which I wasn’t keen on, so another table was found out the back. The overhead outdoor heaters created a decent amount of heat though I still needed to use my jumper as a knee rug to warm up my bottom half, as the back is really an outdoor covered set up. I imagine it would work well on a pleasant summer night.

Charlotte's Corner Cafe, Blackburn South by Bureaucrat

Boy Chick is a winter baby and finding a suitable place to celebrate his birthday required a bit of consideration.  Ideally, some outdoor space that's sheltered and reasonably close to home were the main things I was looking for.  A bit of Googling led me to Charlotte's Corner Cafe in Blackburn South.  Alliteration aside (ha!), the charm of the murals, a heated and covered outdoor space (which included a kids' play area), the ability to make a booking (even on the weekend) and reasonable reviews of the food meant that Charlotte's Corner Cafe was a go-er for us.

Big breakfast

First impressions are important and the beaming smiles and friendly hellos from all the staff including the kitchen staff made us all feel very welcome indeed.  Our reserved table was in the courtyard.  While we were there, a few more families with little ones and fur babies also had the same idea of taking a leisurely brunch in the covered and heated outdoor space.