Grants on Sherbrooke, Kallista by Bureaucrat

SQUAWK!  Grants on Sherbrooke may not be known for its cafe but it is definitely known for its cocky and resplendent neighbours.  Feeding and watching this colony (crackle, chattering... what is the collective noun for cockatoos?) of cockatoos is a wonderful experience.  We went into the bird feeding area twice as it was that enjoyable.  These are big birds who love their food.  The moment we stepped through, a massive cockatoo swooped and landed on the Lawyer's shoulder.  It was hilarious (as I was unscathed!) and amazing at the same time.

I love that smiling cockatoo on the left!

Having spent some time feeding the cockatoos (more info on this below), it was time feed ourselves.  The cafe is spacious, order-at-the-counter type of place.  I suspect the menu is deliberately generic and geared towards the regular tour buses that come by.  Fairly reasonably priced (for a captive market), the types of dishes on offer included pasta, burgers, pies and deep fried stuff.  

Ena Greek Street Food, Forest Hill by Bureaucrat

Forest Hill Shopping Centre (aka 'the Chase') is slowly but surely coming up with some fine good eats.  There's the ever reliable and incredibly good value dumpling and noodle house, Baowie (also a good thing about Baowie is that they're willing to take orders before lunch time officially starts - a boon when you're hungry at 10:30am!); and the wonderfully indulgent Hahndorf's Fine Chocolates for its iced chocolate shakes and complementary chocolates.

With the refurbishment of level 3 at the Chase, a raft of new eateries have opened up, including, Ena Greek Street Food.  Ena is a Greek food outlet.  So having observed the slabs of enticing meats that were turning on the spit roast, it was time for yet another early lunch.  

Feeling like I wanted a bit of everything to try, we went for the lamb and chicken open plate.  This was a plentiful plate loaded with lamb, chicken, pita bread, salad, chips and dip.  This was lip-smacking good!  Of the two meats, the chicken was my favourite - slightly sweet in flavour it was quite moreish.  The pita was warm, fluffy and soft; a squeaky fresh Greek salad; the chips were crisp and spot-on; and the creamy tzatziki was replete with fresh herbs.  

Gracious Grace, Lilydale by Bureaucrat

There's a wonderful sense of timelessness at Melba Park, Lilydale.  With its curved stone walls, mature trees, manicured lawns, a lovely cottage that hosts the local lawn balls club, and pretty cool playground (which includes a water pump!), it's like you've stepped back in time.  It's certainly idyllic.  To cap it off, Melba Park also has a very delightful cafe and gallery to boot!

Grilled barramundi with potatoes, fennel and a lemon and tahini dressing

Gracious Grace is certainly gracious.  Delicious food at very reasonable prices.  You get gourmet Yarra Valley produce without the price tag that usually goes with it.  Gracious Grace has indoor and outdoor seating.  The outdoor seating has views directly onto Melba Park and you also have these beautiful thick blankets to drape over your lap should the weather be chilly. 

Young and Foolish, Wheelers Hill by Bureaucrat

Young and Foolish has accomplished a feat.  Its many predecessors (typically they were those unappealing budget pizza and pasta franchises) struggled to attract diners: the location didn't help - it is situated on the exterior of the humdrum Brandon Park shopping centre; and the decor certainly didn't help - drab furnishings and the exposed windows meant that diners were overlooked by shoppers.  However, Young and Foolish is attractive and has no trouble getting diners in.

The Doffle - doughnut waffle with toasted marshmallows, Nutella, strawberries and hazelnuts

With a serious upgrade, Young and Foolish is a modern cafe - a much-needed one in the local area.  With a modern menu, lovely interior (cosy horseshoe booths, sheer curtains, amber lighting and smart layout) and friendly staff, it's easy to whittle away a few hours here.  

Rainbow Toastie, Melbourne by Big Fil

What’s rainbow coloured, stretchy and comes with a big smile on its face? Give up…a rainbow cheese toastie of course!

Almost all of the colours of the 'bow, man!

Looks wise these super stretchy creations are the biz, super cute. Taste however, not really my thing. The bread is soft but also is fairly tasteless, the cheese a bit plastic in texture and sweet in taste. To be fair though, the texture of the cheese probably reflects that they have gone for a very stretchy cheese (which makes pulling the two halves apart more fun), and the sweet somewhat bland taste of the cheese perfect for most of their customers even if I would have preferred a much stronger flavour. 

Vanilla Cakes and Lounge, Oakleigh by Bureaucrat

I've previously declared my love for Nikos Cakes.  If you've been to Eaton Mall in Oakleigh, it's hard to miss that Nikos Cakes is located at one end of the mall, while Vanilla Cakes and Lounge is located on the other end.  Both are big cake shops.  Both are popular.  And both have loyal patrons.  

While I love Nikos, I couldn't resist the siren call that was coming from Vanilla Cakes and Lounge.  And with a smidge of betrayal in my tummy, I decided to give Vanilla a go - hoping that it wouldn't be better than Nikos.  So whose cakes reign supreme?  Read on! 

D'elephant, Chadstone by Bureaucrat

One of the good things about shopping centres is that they now have a range of better quality dining options - a very welcome change from the rather dreary food court fare of days gone by.  This time around, we found ourselves at Chadstone Shopping Centre and an opportunity for an early lunch saw us front up for a table at D'elephant.

I've eaten at D'elephant Thai Street at the Glen Shopping Centre which I really enjoyed.  However, from what I understand, this particular D'elephant at Chadstone is not located in the food court and is styled more like a restaurant - so, no buzzing electronic tokens heralding your order and table service is offered instead.  As Mother Hen and I were soon to find out, there are also slight changes in the menu offerings.

I was really hoping to order the grilled chicken with rice and soup dish that they have at D'elephant Thai Street Food.  Alas, this was one of those dishes that do not appear at the restaurant version of D'elephant.  I took this opportunity to try something new - Kao Mhu Grob.  This was a very rich and yummy crispy roast pork.  The pork was pretty good - most of the crackling was deliciously crunchy, although there were a few chewier/tougher bits.  The meat itself was tender and had a nice meat-to-fat ratio.  It came drizzled with an aromatic sauce and served with soup, rice, half a boiled egg, cucumber slices and steamed gai lan.  All of this was done very nicely.  There was a soy-chilli dipping sauce which we avoided as some of it splashed out and we found out unexpectedly that it packs fiery punch!

Niska, Melbourne by Bureaucrat

Robots? Yes!  Ice cream? Yes!

Welcome to the future of ice cream, Melbourne!  Just in time for the school holidays, the Melbourne Show and the footy Grand Final, Niska has arrived in Australia.  It's a no-brainer that this futuristic robotic ice cream shop will be popular.  

Thanks, Pepper! I love it when my decisions are validated.

Niska's robots (named Pepper, Eka and Tony) are on-site to take your orders and serve up locally-made ice cream.  Customers put in their orders with Pepper via a touch screen.  You can order one or two scoops (from a choice of about 16 flavours) and a range of toppings.  

Gallery Restaurant, Ballarat by Foghorn Leghorn

For a few decades after the gold rush of the 1850s, Ballarat was one of the wealthiest cities in the world. You can still see the wealth in the buildings from that period, and one of the best examples is Craig’s Royal Hotel, built in 1862. Back in the day, it was the hotel of choice for Mark Twain and other celebrities.

Assiette of duck with nettle puree and roast carrots

A few years ago the building was completely renovated with a modern addition: the courtyard was enclosed with a glass ceiling, creating a light and airy space for a modern restaurant. It displays a changing set of artwork on the walls, so it’s called the Gallery.

On a cycling weekend in Ballarat, Mrs Shiraz and I went to the Gallery for lunch. After a morning of strenuous bush-bashing (trying to cycle the Goldfields Track to Creswick - more info on this later) we’d worked up a bit of an appetite.

Hunters & Disciples, West Melbourne by Foghorn Leghorn

I’m a long term fan of Southbank restaurant Tutto Bene, so I was pretty keen when I heard that their former chef Nathan Scarfo has opened up a café in West Melbourne. What’s more, it was a trip to the old neighbourhood, because I lived in West Melbourne for a couple of years in the early 1980s.

The café, Hunters & Disciples, is in a courtyard off Spencer Street. My recollection is that this was a truck depot, and the drivers used to drink at my local, the Moomba Hotel (now a backpacker place). The renovated café space is cool and funky industrial: polished concrete, exposed ducts and cables, with a spacious feeling that comes from the high ceilings of the original building. There’s background music at just the right volume.


Charcuterie board

The menu is café style, mainly muesli, eggs, toast and a few other odds and ends. There’s a specials board with pasta, soup and pizza. The café is still waiting for its liquor licence, so drinks are limited to non-alcoholic.

After a bit of discussion, I went for the spinach and ricotta gnocchi (from the specials board), and Tam O’Shanter chose the Hunter Burger. There’s also a breakfast burger on the menu, but hard experience has taught us to avoid anything with this description. One thing a breakfast burger doesn’t contain is a burger. There should be a law against it, but there isn’t yet.

Curator 23, Mt Waverley by Bureaucrat

As fun as it is to try new places, it's always good to return back to those cafes that made a good impression.  Two years ago, we checked out Curator 23 and for a cold blustery lunch one day, we thought it was timely to go visit it again.  

The biggest change to Curator 23 was the decor.  It used to smartly decorated in bright yellow and modern touches, which I liked.  But now, it's transformed into this almost Alice in Wonderland does high tea with nanna, which I love!  And clearly, I'm not the only woman who thinks that - the cafe was filled with smartly dressed ladies having a yarn over tea and lunch.  There's lots of greenery (albeit of the plastic variety), velvet cushions, marbled table tops, Laguiole knives, Le Creuset crockery, gorgeous wooden trays, dainty heavy golden teaspoons, and lots of pink, pink, pink!  The owners have clearly spent some serious coin in decorating a modest suburban eatery.  Even the Lawyer said he felt conscious of the fact that he, along with two other guys, were the only men in the cafe... lol.  

Muddings Bakery, Glen Waverley by Bureaucrat

Muddings Bakery is an institution in Glen Waverley.  Along with Rock Kung (an old school Chinese restaurant, which is located a few doors down), Muddings is the only eatery in the Kingsway area that's been there long before property prices shot up in Glen Waverley; and you could hardly imagine that Kingsway would be congested with double-parked cars and diners galore.  Admittedly, despite being an institution, my last visit to Muddings was back when I was a teenager.

Yes, this is definitely making me happy!

In the past few months, I've reminded myself why I liked Muddings as a teen.  Despite a modest shopfront, I'm glad to say it's still popular among the locals.  There's always a steady stream of people coming in for their fix of cakes, pastries (sweet and savoury), bread, pies and sangers.  

Middle Brighton Baths Cafe, Brighton by Bureaucrat

Back in the day, as footloose DINKS, taking the time out for a leisurely lunch at a fine dining restaurant was an option for us.  So in 2013(!), we enjoyed a lovely meal at The Baths at Brighton.  Skip forward to 2019, with Boy Chick in tow, we once again found ourselves in Brighton but this time, we decided to check out the cafe that's attached to The Baths (both eateries are located at the same place - the restaurant is referred to as 'Upstairs', while the cafe/bar is 'Downstairs').

Boy Chick and his chocolate milkshake (kid's size)

As you could imagine, the cafe is more relaxed than its counterpart upstairs.  We chose to sit on the patio which overlooks The Baths' own private beach.  While I recall the food in the restaurant being reasonably good, the cafe fare was amazing!  

Le Courtyard Restaurant, Mauritius by Obelix

Tucked away in the media precinct of Port Louis is Le Courtyard, a restaurant offering a quiet oasis in the bustle of the capital. The restaurant and bar centre around an open topped courtyard with a burbling water fountain surrounded by greenery - pots of citrus (which we were told by the bar tender that they pluck fresh to mix in drinks), curious but spiky euphorbia, and pots of palm fanning open to the sky. 

Amuse bouche

The staff are so accommodating and warm. I had the privilege of attending a few media interviews whilst visiting Mauritius. Some of the interviews I attended were held at Le Courtyard for its beautiful backdrop, and other times, I simply whiled away time in between meetings sipping cool drinks and gazing serenely at the fountain.

Ashy's Afghan, Ashburton by Bureaucrat

There's no shortage of cafes along High Street, Ashburton.  Indeed, the family-friend Mr Burton and the lovely Two Seeds can be found along this lively strip of shops.  However, I was very excited to see a new eatery pop up - Ashy's Afghan.  

I think Ashy's Afghan used to be a typical cafe, but in probably the last year or so, it's changed into an Afghani restaurant.  This suits me fine as I love Afghani food.  An impromptu lunch with Boy Chick's playgroup buddies saw us check out Ashy's Afghan.

Inside, it's spacious and welcoming - great if you have kids!  Boy Chick's buddies and their grandparents haven't had Afghani food before.  As such, I recommended they go with something that's not too spiced or 'challenging' to eat.

It's lunch menu is very well priced.  The double skewer charcoal kebabs (chicken thighs or minced lamb) is an absolute feast at $13.90.  The photo doesn't do it justice in terms of showing just how big the serve is.  We got two of these.  I had one all to myself, and I can tell you I was stuffed! The chicken was tender and juicy.  It was lightly spiced with a little paprika and lemon. The rice was light and fluffy; salad was fresh; I didn't try the pita as I was just too full.  While this was very yummy, I would have liked a stronger char-grilled flavour on the chicken. 

Fat Cup, Blackburn by Bureaucrat

I've noticed there's been a few changes in the eateries around Blackburn train station.  So for morning tea one day, I decided to try one out - Fat Cup.  I like the name of this place - one of abundance!  First impressions were also good.  It appears that Fat Cup is a family-run business and the plentiful smiles and happy welcomes was very nice.  The bright and spacious interior was also a plus - and I also loved the little touches of native plants and flowers dotted around the place.

With a few cakes on offer, I decided to go with the lemon tart.  This was quite lemony, which I like.  However, did wish that it came with some cream just so to temper the sourness from the lemon.  

Street food, Mauritius by Obelix

Whilst I like the convenience of resort dining, it’s not really the way to experience local culture. Which is why the most memorable food experiences in Mauritius were either eaten on the streets or ‘grab & bag’ to be enjoyed later hunkered down in the hotel room, trying to dish out the morsels into the cups and saucers the hotel supply for tea and coffee.

Coconut by the pool

Here is a food-log (a flog?) of the delectable street food of Mauritius. This is just a mere sampling. I intend to go back in future years to conquer some more. But it’s a start. And I have started with good ole favourites.

Chef BBQ experience, Mauritius by Obelix

As abundant and convenient resort living is, after several days of endless buffets, I yearn for simple home cooked food, tailored to my taste buds rather than slabs of pre-selected food which I may not necessarily desire laid out for me.

Flambeed prawns!

With this in mind, we opted to stay in a villa with our personal chef. The experience was like having a genie in a bottle. Gino, our genie was able to conjure up whatever dish our taste buds desired. For our last supper before we headed home, we decided to have a seafood BBQ. As the dying rays of sun disappeared on the horizon, Gino stoked the charcoal embers by the pool over looking Pereybere beach, and we watched on, entranced. 

The Chicken Experts, Mt Waverley by Bureaucrat

A spontaneous decision to have a mid-week takeaway dinner found us at the Chicken Experts.  Located in the Mt Waverley shopping village, I've often inhaled the delicious charcoal aromas that are wafting from this local chicken shop.

The Chicken Experts touts itself as using La Ionica chicken. That's always a plus in my books.  There's the typical roast chook or the deep fried pieces.  While I was tempted to go for a piece or two of deep fried chicken, I resisted temptation and got a quarter roast chook with chips.  This was a fairly generous serve.  The chicken was moist and meaty; and there were plenty of chips.

Albion Polish Club, Albion by Big Fil

A work colleague once of the Polish persuasion but now a dinky di Aussie had long suggested that I check out the Polish Club located in far off Albion – the western Melbourne suburb, not ancient Britain. Given that it’s quite a journey for me it took some time to make it but I finally managed the nearly 2 hour public transport journey from the eastern suburbs to check out this bastion of Eastern European cooking.

First thing to note is that this is not a restaurant, not really. It’s not a cafeteria either but sits somewhere in between. You order from the menu at the register which really does feel a bit school cafeteria like, but the table setting is much nicer than at my school anyway and the food is delivered to your table. This in between arrangement probably reflects that it is not really a public restaurant even if open to the general public but part of a social club (duh, I hear you say but it does mean that the feel of the place is very different to most of the places we visit around town).


My choice for lunch and probably the pick of the day was the roast pork (sometimes it helps having insider knowledge). Originally on the plate it looked smaller than I’d expected but the slices of pork are cut comparatively thick. The meat was juicy, the cabbage slightly vinegary to cut through the richness of the pork and gravy, the potato smooth if not as creamy/buttery as I’d have liked.

La Table du Chateau, Mauritius by Obelix

Domaine de Labourdonnais is a magnificent neo-classical house built in the 1800s by Christian Wiehe. It’s reminiscent of the grand homes in Gone With The Wind.


The grounds itself is filled with meticulously maintained greenery which makes my heart sing. Also on its grounds is La Table du Chateau, a restaurant serving a modern take on Mauritian classics. 

Noodle Square, Mauritius by Obelix

The last time I was in Mauritius, my friend brought a small take away container of niuk yen for us to snack on at the beach. These were steamed juicy balls of choko, mixed with fried rice vermicelli and dried shrimp. Plump and texturally interesting, it sounds like a strange combo but trust me, it’s moreish.


Having tracked down where she procured the niuk yen from, P and I made sure we visited the place the subsequent time we were in Mauritius. So here we are.  It made sense to order what we came for, more niuk yen. We met the proprietor Ryan, who affably told the tale of how he strove for months to perfect the right ratio of ingredients so that his niuk yen formed the perfect sphere and soft yielding texture without losing form. 

Wheelers Hill Hotel Bistro, Wheelers Hill by Bureaucrat

The Wheelers Hill Hotel Bistro is one of those places that sort of blurs into the background.  Situated on the downward slope near the intersection of busy Ferntree Gully and Jells Roads, I've never given the place much attention.  However, a birthday dinner for my grandpa gave us the opportunity to check it out as it ticked many of boxes for us - in particular, it's close to home and wheelchair accessible.

250gm scotch steak with chips and salad

The Wheelers Hill Hotel complex has something for everyone - and it is certainly popular among the locals.  There's obviously the bistro (with a big indoor playground for kids), bar and TAB facilities.  We had a booking for a 6.30pm dinner and the bistro was almost at capacity - teeming with families with young kids and golden oldies.  Although the bistro is quite big and spacious it was nonetheless quite loud with all the goings-on.  

There's plenty of staff ready to seat you or take your order at the counter.  It was certainly noticeable how friendly and eager to help they all were.  There's quite an extensive menu - fairly typical pub dishes.  Of interest to the golden oldies on our table was the fact that senior citizens get roughly a 20 per cent discount on many of the main dishes - a real crowd pleaser, this was!  

Falaise Rouge, Mauritius by Obelix

Falaise means cliff and Falaise Rouge, perched on the cliff’s edge, is built on red soil, hence the rouge, I think. I noticed red gritty sand on the car mats after our lunch there and I’m drawing my own conclusions.


Chicken and prawn curry

The setting is nothing short of magical. We were there on a drizzly day and instead of the rain putting a dampener on the experience, it heightened its mystique. I’ll pop a few photos below of the surrounding sea and mountain views.

Little Si Chuan Xiao Sichuan, Mauritius by Obelix

I have been told on good authority that Little Si Chuan ranks number one on Weibo if one was to search Chinese restaurants in Mauritius. And after visiting the Plaine Magnien edition, I could understand why. After stepping off a long haul flight, we were brought there supposedly for a quick dinner by friends due to its close proximity to the airport. Groggy from crossing all these time zones, eating was the last thing on my mind but Little Si Chuan soon revived me better than any shower or power nap.


Stir fried squid

Obviously by its name, Little Si Chuan does seafood Sichuan style. Whilst I normally steer clear of the hot heat and tongue numbing properties of Sichuan pepper, I was pleasantly surprised that the food at Little Si Chuan did not blow one’s head off and one could actually appreciate the flavours.

Chayo, Clayton by Bureaucrat

The last time I was in Clayton, I wasn't too thrilled with Ping's Dumpling Kitchen.  However, this time around, I spotted Chayo, a Japanese eatery, which turned out to be an unexpected delight.  A small cafe, Chayo offers a semi Japanese fusion cafe menu (think brunch with some Japanese elements).  It's arguable whether it's located in a prime spot (right in front of a busy bus stop on a main road) - the noise from the buses and the crowds of people waiting for buses don't really add much to the atmosphere.  However, the food and service is what matters and Chayo did excellently on those fronts.

A rare solo lunch meant that I could choose whatever I wanted to eat!  I went with the karaage chicken teishoku.  This was delicious and an absolute steal at $13! This generous serve of crunchy tasty chicken (about seven good sized chunks of chicken breast and thigh) was amazing.  With a thin batter it was hardly oily at all.  There was just so much chicken for the price - any other eatery would probably serve half the amount of chicken and charge you a few dollars more, too.  I was only able to eat two pieces and took the rest home for a lovely afternoon snack.  

Golden Child, Glen Iris by Obelix

Tucked next to the Anniversary Trail is Golden Child, a cafe capturing the Burwood station commuters and cyclists alike. P usually stops off for a bite after a weekend morning bike ride with his friends and this time he brought Kiddo and I along for brunch.


He started with his standing order - the lobster stuffed portobello mushrooms, fried eggs on toast. I snuck a nibble of the mushies and was suitably impressed with how the delicate flavours of the lobster combine with the juicy mushrooms.

Ranges at Olinda, Olinda by Bureaucrat

Ranges at Olinda is one of the bigger cafe-restaurants in the Olinda village up in Mt Dandenong.  It's a lovely touristy village which has a few of my favourites places in Melbourne, including Nourish Day Spa (who do wonderful massages), Herbicious Delicious (all the kitchen paraphernalia you could ever want for) and Soap Opera (gorgeous naturopathic beauty products).  Ms S and I decided to make ourselves comfortable at Ranges for a good old catch-up.

As it turns out, we both ended up choosing soups for our lunch.  I went for the soup-of-the-day.  A pumpkin and bacon soup, which came with a toasted cheese and caramelised onion sandwich.  This a lovely bowl of soup - a generous serve and warming, it was velvety smooth.  It had lots of bacon pieces too (a good thing) but it did make the soup a tad saltier than I would have preferred.  The toastie was crisp and went well with the soup.  All in all, a very comforting meal on a cold day.

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.

Shark Fin Inn, Melbourne by Obelix

Shark Fin Inn, in the city, is one of those ubiquitous restaurants along Chinatown - tables crammed in; big fish tank of groupers awaiting their fates; noisy patrons; pokey staircase.  Not that any of that was bad - it's all part of the ambience.


Peipa tofu

We were there for family dinner - fourteen of us in total, comprising of teens with bottomless stomachs and hangry adults. It was not one of those meals where you get to savour the food over convivial chatter.  We were bolting down our meals, squabbling among us as we fought for control over the spinning lazy Susan. The problem with fitting such a large party on the one table, the dishes we ordered may not all come with enough for one morsel apiece.  Kids were arguing over their sibling 'hogging all the steak' and missing out on the fried prawns. Despite the survival mentality that besieged us, once I stepped out into the cool night air to reflect on the meal, I was actually replete and satisfied.

Squires Loft, Nunawading by Bureaucrat

Having heard through word of mouth that it's a good place for steak, Ms S decided to have her birthday dinner at Squires Loft.  A bit of Googling showed that there's actually quite a few Squires Lofts around town (including some overseas) - and the one we went to was out in the burbs in Nunawading.  For those who know of Brand Smart, Squires Loft is situated on the exterior of this discount shopping outlet.

According to Ms S, organising the birthday dinner was a bit of hassle with the guys at Squires Loft.  While I can't comment on all aspects of the pre-dinner service, I did note that they made it clear that there is a minimum $45 dollar spend per person - so Ms S had to be sure that there were no empty seats for her dinner booking, lest the rest of us had to pony up the outstanding monies.  In addition, for a 6pm booking we were told we must be finished by 8pm.  All of this gave Squires Loft an impression that it had rather fancy airs about itself.

With 12 of us for dinner, all but two people went for the steak (the others ordered a grilled vegetarian dish and grilled lamb chops).  I only took a photo of my dish - a 200 gram eye fillet which came with chips.  For extra, you can order a side salad and sauces (which I didn't).  There's lots of different cuts of steaks on offer but most went for the eye fillet and a side dish.  

Gold Leaf, Docklands by Foghorn Leghorn

There are five Gold Leaf restaurants dotted around Melbourne, and I’ve had a few discussions about which is the best for yum cha. Recently people mentioned Docklands in favourable terms, so Mrs Shiraz and I decided to give it a go.

Deep fried taro dumplings

Our reliable restaurant companions, Knuckles and Shazza, cycled over from Footscray to join us. Once upon a time, if you saw someone from Footscray on a pushbike, you could guess that they’d had stern words from the magistrate about what would happen the next time they were caught driving. But Knuckles and Shazza have genuine licences (ie not the sort that a friend has run through the laminating machine at the job training centre), and they still choose to cycle. That’s gentrification for you.

Royal Stacks, Melbourne by Log Lady

Last week I attended Royal Stacks 3rd birthday party, which also incorporated the launch of their natural wine menu. At this event I also got to taste one of their burgers and enjoy their rather odd ball entertainment – but more about that later.

A selection of burgers

First about Royal Stacks, modelled after great American burger chains such as Shake Shack and 

In-N-Out Burger, their flagship store at the Collins Street location opened in 2016 with subsequent locations in Brunswick and Chadstone. The owner Dani Zeini has worked in a number of burger joints around Melbourne, including the family run Dandenong Pavilion, Grand Trailer Park Taverna, Easey’s, Truck Stop Deluxe and Motorhome Majestic.

D'elephant Thai Street Food, Glen Waverley by Bureaucrat

It's rare to find me inside a shopping centre.  Sprawling mega-complexes are just not my thing. But I have to admit the better food offerings and the nicer facilities and decor do intrigue me enough to venture forth into Casa Capitalism.  

Another hot Melbourne day, and not wanting to cook, saw me take refuge at The Glen's refurbished food court.  The tempting aromas coming from D'elephant made it easy for us to decide what to order. 

The Plough @ Trentham, Trentham by Obelix

It would be just my luck to pick the hottest most humid day to go gastro-motoring with friends in their restored Corvette sans air con.  Even though I looked and felt like a steamed bun, I had, rather my taste buds had, a wonderful time at The Plough in Trentham.

We started with a charcuterie board replete with slices of terrine; pate; little nuggets of fried cubes of beef, and the usual suspects of crusty bread, salami and pickles. The terrine was melt-in-your-mouth smooth and the beef cubes were moreish.

Lorna, Ferntree Gully by Bureaucrat

With is smart cafe offerings and Scandi-inspired decor, Lorna has put Ferntree Gully on the foodie map.  I've been meaning to go to Lorna since it opened over a year ago now.  I've read the glowing reviews and seen the beautiful photos of its food on Instagram - so was it worth the wait?  Short answer, definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Inside, it's bright and spacious and feels very welcoming.  It has a lovely community vibe to the place.  There's a constant quiet hum of chatter among the diners - there's no loud 'background' music, thank goodness!

For lunch, I couldn't go past the fish tacos. These were very lovely.  Chunky succulent pieces of white fish that were seasoned with something oh-so-moreish.  It came with avocado mousse, black bean slaw and corn tortillas.  A great option on a hot day - filling without being stodgy.