A BOOTH WITH A VIEW @ BELLE'S DINER

Belle's Diner's Fried Green Tomato Burger ($17)

Yalei and I hit up Belle's Diner a few weeks ago. I'd actually been here a few nights after it opened, but my camera died (trust) just as the food arrived. Belles Diner is the newest place on Gertrude Street, and is a contemporary take on the traditional American diner, without all the '50s crap that is usually associated with such places. Instead, the interior feels like a set from Mad Men, with a stainless steel counter and sleek wooden booths that sit with large windows overing a street level view of Gertrude Street.

On our first visit, we put our names on the door an hour before they let us know we could be seated and the place was heaving with the young crowd you would expect around the area. The next week, we arrived for lunch, and still had to wait for a few minutes for a table, because we weren't keen on eating on the counter.

For lunch, I ordered the fried green tomato burger, as above. It was good, but a vegeburger would have been much more satisfying. Instead of a pattie, a large slice of deep-fried green tomato sat in the burger with crisp lettuce, cheese and pickles. However, the tomato just didn't keep it's shape as I progressed through the burger, and by the end,  developed into tomato mush. The bun though was sweet and the fries were well seasoned and tasty, so it wasn't all bad. While there for dinner, my meat eating friends ordered the Waguy burger and judged it to be 'Good, not as good as Huxtaburger but better then the burgers at the workers' which is a good indicator of a satisfactory burger.

Yalei ordered the clam chowder, which I had also tried when I went last time. She summed it up pretty well, when she said it was 'kind of like pumpkin soup, but with clams'. It was good though because her size was much bigger then the one I had received the week before for dinner. My verdict was that the soup was good (who doesn't like pumpkin soup?) but a little bland and the clams were a nice inclusion, but did more for the texture component of the dish then the flavour part of it. I was a little disapointed as I remembered clam chowder to be creamy and more sea-foody then the chowder at Belles. More like a calorific-cream based soup, then the more healthy vegetable based one served here.

The Clam Chowder ($15)

Cost-wise, the meal kind of just sat at $20, which was fine, but not brilliant. Belles Diner seems a little style-over-substance. On arrival, the cafe is neat and very well presented, but the food wasn't anything that got me too excited. If they are going to run with the American theme, I think it deserves that extra push, because there wasn't really anything that you couldn't get at the majority of restaurants in Melbourne and there is much more interesting dude-food to be found for the same price.

 The Wagyu Beef Burger with Fries

I would return to Belle's diner, but maybe when they have worked on their menu a bit. Since my visit/s, they've added a 'Salted Caramel Milkshake' to the menu, and I'm also keen to try the Sundaes and Key Lime Pie from their desserts, as well as the Chilli Beans and Lobster Roll. For lunch though, not eating meat meant choosing dishes was way too easy when I had maybe three things to choose from, which always kind of sucks a little - although, I do remember having more options over dinner.

Staff at Belle's are friendly, although a little disinterested, but I liked the music and generally the vibe of the Diner is lo-key and relaxed during the day, and lively but laid back in the PM times.

BELLE'S DINER

150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

Tuesday - Sunday 10am - late.

Good for: Casual style dining for small or large groups.
Vegetarians: Have options, but they aren't too expansive, especially for lunch.

Seats: Lots of booths, and tables available.
Wait time: About 5 minutes for the two of us for mid-week lunch. The previous week, a larger group of about 8 of us were wait-listed for an hour until they called us to let us know we had a table - but the restaurant was packed, so this was fine. 
Food waiting time: Around 20 minutes for lunch, around half an hour for dinner.
Cost: Including drinks, both our meals sat just under $20.00.  

LITTLE PAUSE @ LITTLE KING

I march almost daily these days up Flinders Lane, on my way to work, and Little King has become a welcome, regular stop on what has in turn, become a pretty shitty jaunt.

If you haven’t visited, Little King is a pretty little cafe tucked away in a small alcove, sheltered on one side by one of Melbourne's oldest buildings, St Paul's Cathedral. Little King's outside seating area sits privy to to a view of Melbourne that you don't expect to see on the sheltered route that is Flinders Lane, until, on turning the corner towards the cafe, you are hit with a force of light that looks towards Federation Square.

Broadsheet recently featured the owners in a piece about female cafe owners, and it is very clear on entering the cafe, that this is a grrrl-run operation. The ladies who run Little King are refreshingly informal, and I don't know, maybe it's the size of the little cafe, or maybe it's their chatty natures, but you kind of feel like you're sitting in the kitchen of a Carlton sharehouse. The cafe is personable, sweetly decorated and the girls behind the counter are doing a great job at establishing a coffee spot with some heart in the CBD.

Which is great by the way. There are too many places in the city where you're just shoved along and  treated as the little more then the next customer. But here, as corny as it sounds, you feel like a friend. Isn't that just lovely? No, SRSLY, it’s really nice. Before Little King, small yet quality cafes so close to the tourist hubs of Flinders Street and City Square were annoyingly absent. Even somewhere like Sensory Lab lacks a 'cafe vibe' that most Melbournians look for in a coffee spot. So good job, Little King.

The first time I visited was with Antonia, and it was the first ‘hot’ day of the year. Little King was perfect, providing much needed shade, coolness from the concrete of the church aswell as a wonderful view of people enjoying Melbourne on the other side of Flinders Street.

Anyway, this is really only a half-post because I've only ever stopped for a drink. But if you're looking for some place to perch for a half hour or so in the CBD, which can be a pretty lonely place sometimes, Little King should provide enough company to settle the soul for some time.

 

LITTLE KING CAFE

4/209 FLINDERS LANE

Mon - Fri 7.30 - 3.30 

Good for: Good and prompt take-away coffee. A break from the chaos of the CBD.
Vegetarians: I just had coffee.

Seats: The cafe is only small, which suits as it's a coffee and quick lunch sort of place. I like sitting outside in the fresh air, but there are a few small tables inside too.
Wait time: There was not seating wait.
Cost: Standard Coffee Price. $3.50

IN THE SPIRIT OF BEAUTIFUL FOOD // Sonia Rentsch

Photographs by fellow Melbournian, Sonia Rentsch

COOL JAPAN @ Nama Nama

I had walked past Nama Nama on my way to work for so long before Yalei and I decided to hit it up last week. The younger brother of Izakaya Den reaks of Japan chic, and I'd wondered about this neat little eatery, tucked away in the corner of the city, for quite some time. Nama Nama fits in with Melbourne's CBD as much as it stands out, but is made particularly noticeable by the wooden tables and seats outside the restaurant, stamped in loud red, Asahi logos. Cute.

Inside, the cafe is quite beautiful, fitted out in kind of 'scanjapan' style - that is a mix, of woody and simple Japanese design, with more westernised furnishings and affects that I associate with Scandinavia. Staff are also really great, super friendly and very attentive. When Yalei ordered her second Japanese lemonade (they have those strange click, ball openings) they asked her if she wanted to 'crack it' herself, and when she did it, three of them cheered and clapped - Adorbs. Big props to the staff.

I don't know if it was all the natural light, or the relatively quiet nature of this restaurant compared to most of the city, but Nama Nama has really good, calming vibes. It's cool, but not nauseatingly so and there isn't a particular 'crowd'. Although I'm sure it gets busy during the lunchtime rush hour, there was also enough space to feel like you had a little privacy.  

I kind of feel bad for Japanese food, because it has so many cheap imitations here in Melbourne, but there is none of this 'smoked salmon sushi' here and not a single soy sauce fish could be found.  

Enticed by the delights that are displayed on the front counter, I choose a bento box. The deal is you choose your box, and then you select its components from the little selections offered. So, you pick   a salad, a raw choice, rice piece, a house specialty and a main, with the majority of the five componants displayed at the front - hence the name, 'Nama Nama' which translates to 'fresh fresh'.

I had wanted to choose the salmon, but they were out, so choose the eggplant instead. Eggplant isn't my favourite dish texture-wise, I find it kind of sludgy, so I wasn't quite taken with this one, although the sauce was appropriately zany with the rice, and they did pop the last little piece of salmon in too, which was tasty. I also had the Kingfish sushimi, which was leaf-wrapped and tasted fresh and easy. One salad, with fried noodles was light and fitting with the rest of the bento. My favourite part however, was a little mix of cold vegetables, a mix of raw snow peas, capsicum and corn in a kind of fried pastry, wonton style cup.

However, Yalei did enjoy her Udon. Apparently Nama Nama is one of the only places in Melbourne that makes their Udon by hand - or rather, by foot. This sounds kind of nasty, but kind of neat at the same time, because they wear a sock-type covering and roll the Udon into noodles with the bottom of their soles. I'd like to see this. Yalei reported that you can feel the imperfections in the 'grain' of the noodles, but couldn't taste much of a difference, but the tempura prawns were well cooked and the soup flavoursome.

Nama Nama's udon is it's own shining star. From my research, 6 months on from opening, Nama Nama remains the only place in Melbourne 'handcrafting' their own udon, which is pretty amazing. Also, Nama Nama is open for breakfast which also provides a pretty serious point of difference to the usual brunch spots in the CBD. It also has a bar upstairs that broadsheet has called 'moody' which is cool, i guess.

Although, I did like Nama Nama and considered it a positive dining experience, I do think it is over priced. $18 for a bento box is kind of crazy; although the options were certainly more interesting in comparison to your 'sushi sushi' shopping centre kind of bentos, and felt considerably more authentic. $15 for the udon is not too painful, but isn't exactly cheap at the same time. Generally though, for me, the portions just aren't big enough to justify the price, especially with the bentos, when the majority of the fillings had been prepared earlier and were cold, and it's really due to the rice that one feels 'full' after.

 

NAMA NAMA

31 Spring Street

Mon - Fri 7am - 5pm
Sat - Sun 8am - 5pm

Good for: Interesting and quirky Japanese food, and an uplifting lunch. I really enjoyed all-round simplicity of the venue, and the presentation of food. They also serve market lane coffee which is a bonus, and Japanese style breakfast.
Vegetarians: Are well catered for.

Seats: Customers should have plenty of seating options. Inside, outside, on the bench, on tables and even on more traditional Japanese seating arrangements. We sat at the bar, near the front window and that was fine.
Wait time: There was not seating wait.
Food waiting time: Around 10 minutes.
Cost: I spent $21.00 all up, including my Japanese lemonade and bento. Yalei's came to about $18 for her udon and drink. I didn't think the bento was amazing value, although I was glad I tried it. However, I would return to try the udon.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MEAL IN THE WORLD @ Collective Espresso

 

From the look of this blog, you probably don't believe that I've lost 95% of my precious mornings to work, but unfortunately they are now disappointing rare, and thus brunch is a very special treat. However, there was this one time a last week that Anties and I went to Collective Espresso for breakfast, and what a delight that was.

Collective Espresso is located in Camberwell, just up from the station, and was one of the first neat little cafes to pop up in the area. I have to say, as I grew up around here, a year or so ago there was quite a drought for a place that was still affordable, had really good coffee and the clincher, wasn't pram, or walking-frame ridden. But recently, more people have cottoned on to the fact that this was (and still kind of is) yummy mummy central, and now their kids have grown into young adults. So I'm going to start by thanking Collective Espresso for doing their bit to fill this void.

Good coffee. I was so in love with this meal

So we went to Collective Espresso on some nondescript morning to suss it out. We began with coffees, because it was 8am (ergh), and moved on to ordering (ahh!). You know how some places have a menu, and you just don't think about it, you pick and you order and it arrives and you eat? Collective Espresso is not like that. Simple dishes weren't part of the menu, which only added to that nice feeling of suspense after ordering. I didn't know how they would pull off the dishes so extensively described in the menu, but they did.   

The service was prompt without being annoying attentive, and came out about 10 minutes after. Good good. I chose the sake, orange and miso cured salmon, herb and zucchini pancakes and corn relish with poached eggs.

To begin with the obvious, the food was so wonderfully presented, it was like we were served up a section of someones freshly bloomed garden for brunch. Both dishes were wonderfully coloured, and looked fresh and vibrant. Antonia's even had flowers!! The portions were also really well done; enough fresh salmon, enough egg, enough of the amazing fritters. Do you know how rare this is? To get just the right amount of really great food from a good cafe?

Normally, I'm not such a big fan of corn relish, but the one with this salmon dish one was subtle enough (on the corn front) to be complementary to the fritters. I couldn't make out the 'cured sake, orange, and miso' component of the salmon, but all the same, it tasted wonderful, was textually diverse and a really, creative meal. Everything was just so good, and so pretty with tiny details on each plate, like the pieces of fried salmon skin to garnish.

Anties ordered the ricotta and blueberry dumplings with poached fruit, thyme sand, labna and mapel. It was so good, you guys. We were loving it. The blueberry dumplings were also amazing, surrounded by fresh fruit, with a smear of labna and a sprinkling of icing sugar. Apparently, they were like doughnuts but without the heavy, oily feeling.
 
Cost-wise, EC exceeded my budget. But this was brunch, and brunch is my favourite meal, so I will forgive it for the $1.50 that capped off the usual $20. And also, because I don't know if you noticed, but I really liked this place. 

I'm a bit hesitant to say this, but Collective Espresso may be my favourite brunch place in Melbourne. There is always another place to try, but I can tell this will remain in the back of my head when someone brings up early morning eating.

COLLECTIVE ESPRESSO

3 Cookson Street, Camberwell

Mon - Fri 7 - 4
Sat - Sun 8 - 4

Good for: Monday-Friday Breakfasts and super coffee. I haven't been here on Saturday but I would assume it gets crazy, and I don't think you'd even get through the door without a wait on market days.
Vegetarians: Have a good share of decent, creative options. I liked the sound of the 'Spiced vegan ratatouille cannelloni beans'.

Seats: I'm not a big fan of communal tables (is anyone?) especially in a smaller cafe like this one, so for us, sitting outside is fine, providing the people you're seated between aren't too loud.
Wait time: None. We found a table out the front right away. It was about 8am though.
Food waiting time: Around 10 minutes.
Cost: I spent $21.50 all up, so it's a little over budget but totes worth it.

 

FAST FEWD @ Miss Chu

Yalei and I braved the 9 to 5ers when we popped into Miss Chu for lunch a couple of weeks ago. The competition for table space, counter space, seats, lunch bags and attention from wait staff come 1pm is pretty damn fierce. For this reason, if you’re the more on timid the side, maybe hold back a couple of hours and try for dinner. This place is on high rotation, so you have to be quick.

But I’m not saying it’s not worth it. It is. I’ve been to Miss Chu’s a few times now, and it’s always in the back of my head when I want a simple meal in the CBD with minimal fuss. Sure, it’s always chaotic, and you’ve got to be quick on your feet to grab a table, but I am, so I feel like this restaurant and I are a good match.

Always a fan of house-special drinks, Yalei ordered the frozen coconut-mint drink, which is an icy concoction that you can also order with vokda. She got a virgin one, as above ($6). She also ordered the duck pancake ($3) which was a bit smaller then anticipated, but apparently tasted amazing. We shared the prawn and crab net spring rolls ($6) which are incredibly light and so easy to eat quickly. Instead of using thicker Chinese style pastry, Miss Chu’s thing is to use rice paper, so the skin is crispy and light with a fresh filling, without that really greasy feeling you get with most spring rolls. There is none of that miscellaneous green, "vegetable" stuff in there either. I ordered the seared atlantic salmon, which came with rice ($13) and light greens on the side. I always come back to this dish, because they hit you with a decent amount of salmon, and the vegetables are always fresh and cooked well. I also got a raspberry and apple juice ($3.5)

Prawn & Crab Net Spring Rolls 

I really like Miss Chu, and it’s the general vibe and the affordable, satisfying food that keeps me going back. There are a lot of good things about this place. To begin with, it’s all about fair trade and organic ingredients, and no MSG. I think it’s great the the owner tributes her Vietnamese-Laotian heritage by using her Australian visa photo from her childhood as the icon of the restaurant. They also have free WiFi (should you have enough table space to open a laptop) and deliver take-away orders within 1 km of the restaurant, which I should totally jump on now that I spend three quatres of my life in the CBD.

It's interesting to note that this place is pretty white-washed, despite the owner being of the same origin, and each time I’ve visited, is providing non-offensive Vietnamese fair to a large majority of white, young profs in a contemporary setting.

The only downside is that the service is a bit iffy, and the waitstaff have a tenancy to throw your meal across your table at you, Shanghai-Dumpling-style. Rush times are kind of a bun fight where you have to look out for yourself, because the wait staff are too busy to be escorting you anywhere. But you can tell that this is more under staffing and a lack of space and even perhaps a lack of commitment to customer interaction that makes the service a bit dicey.

The Seared Atlantic Salmon with rice and greens

MISS CHU 

297 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

11am- 10pm daily 

Good for: Easy, fast and informal dining with groups of up to about 4 people. Would be perfect to visit before a gig or a show, but probably get in before peak hour to avoid a wait.
Vegetarians: Have lots of options, as do the health conscious.

Seats: Try to get a table, although you may have to share with another group. The counters are a good idea to save space on the restaurant floor, but sitting there isn't ideal, especially if you're there to eat with other people.
Wait time: It was about 5 minutes before we spotted a table and nabbed it.
Food waiting time: Around 7 minutes- very quick.
Cost: Good value, and one of the cheaper lunch or dinner options I've encountered in Melbourne. My share of the spring rolls, the salmon and the drink clocked in just under budget at $19.50.

 

OMG YUM @ Tree of Us

Last week I got an email from Christian, of the new Richmond cafe 'Tree of us' inviting me to come and visit. Tree of Us stands out from the formally industrial, now residential area of Richmond, thanks to a great tree and rooster artwork painted on one side of the corner cafe.

Inside, with two walls of the cafe windows, Tree of Us is a  lightfilled and cheery with potted plants hanging from the ceiling, and a church pew lining the solid wall. We were lucky enough to arrive on a quiet Monday morning, and the cafe had a easy vibe, welcoming us to the start of a busy week.

Cost wise, Tree of Us sits perfectly in the Poor Student Eats budget. My omelette sat well at around $14, and you can’t really beat a sit-down sammich for $8.

Although I debated between the smoked salmon and beetroot salad, I thought I'd live on the edge and ended up ordering the omelette with mushrooms, spinach, goat's cheese, and thyme. Omg yum. Textually, the omelette was spot on - soft and light without being firm or rubbery. I hadn't had mushrooms for ages, but this omelette has convinced me to return. Each component in the dish was well and truly present, complementary and flavourful without being too rich. I also enjoyed a substantial amount of goat's cheese hidden beneath the omelette's folds and there was just enough thyme to give a pleasant aroma to the meal. Top notch.

Antonia went for the less conventional pick of the 'chef's choice' sandwich, filled with peanut butter, honey and banana. A passionate banana detester for a long time, I never would have made this call, but a difference in preference is what friends of food bloggers are for. She really enjoyed the sandwich and its kooky combination of fillings, but said it would be nice to have another sweet element there as well, like strawberries for that added punch.

What I really liked about Tree of us is that it kind of bucks the trends most Melbourne cafes are following with vigor. The chairs have backs! The inside is warm and green, instead of cold and industrial! But the basic ingredients of a great cafe remain through their menu of quirky little dishes, great coffee and service that is informed and friendly, but allows for conversational-space too.

The Chef's choice sandwich

Both my friend and I agreed that it was great to see some new things on the menu. After a while, the brunch options from cafes begin to mimic each other - even with the quality ingredients they may contain. Sure, there are breakfast favourites that remain universally popular, but, to quote Antonia when everyone is serving 'smashed avocado with Meredith fetta' you can feel like you've read a menu once, twice, or three times before - but not so here. The simple dishes aren’t too foreign and you should be familiar with most of the offerings, but each is done so in a way that will bring new light to a old favourite.

Still in its first month, I look forward to seeing how Tree of Us grows in the future. They have strong the potential as a young cafe all ready to grow up. Pricewise, it’s spot on for a easy, hassle free breakfast, and I am looking forward to trying their dinner menu soon, and making a visiting their little courtyard for a Sunday session in the coming months. So if you ever find yourself in that strange divide between Bridge Road and Victoria Street, take a short walk down to Tree of Us for some good and wholesome brunchy fair. 

The hanging pot plants were super cute 

TREE OF US 

 

71 CHURCH STREET

RICHMOND  

 

Good for: Easy and informal dining with groups of any size, a solid cup of coffee, cruisy breakfasts, dinners and for doses of sunshine, when the courtyard opens. 
Vegetarians: Will be happy with the selection on the menu as it caters for most eating preferences, with lots of healthy breakfast foods like eggs, mushrooms, lentils, beans and a couple of meaty options.
Wait time: Nil- we walked right on in.
Food waiting time: The perfect amount of time- about 10 minutes. Just enough to time to settle in before eating.
Cost: Good value, and one of the cheaper breakfast options I've encountered in Melbourne. You could easily come home with change from a 20 dollar note. 

SUKIYAKI DAD @ Ocha2go

I have the original meat and three veg father. While I will always turn to the most foreign thing on the menu, my dad will without-fail, order a steak with chips and vegetables. But last week, I made a stand and dragged him kicking and screaming (you know, in a grumbly father kind of way) to Ocha2go, on Burwood Road in Hawthorn, meters away from Hawthorn Station.

I really dig this weird Japanese restaurant, with it's strange purple and orange, semi-galactic interior, and from the amount of people popping in to pick up take-away, I'm far from being the only one. I've been coming here with friends for a few years now, and on the rare occasion that we hang out at home, it's been our standby for a solid Japanese meal.

Service at Ocha2go is a bit unusual. First timers to the restaurant don't quite know where to stand when they walk in, and debate if they should just pick a table and sit. At the same time, lines quickly grow around the single cash register as everyone orders from the front desk. I think they could probably do well with a few more staff, or begin taking orders from sit-in patron tables to help cut down the queing situation.

 Spicy Fish Karage

I ordered the Spicy Fish Karage, made up of floured, lightly fried pieces of fish in a green salad, which is then covered in cripsy fried noodles, with light chilli and garlic seasoning. This is one of my favourite options on the menu and I've never been disapointed. It's the perfect light meal, and provides more substance then eating a regular salad, with a slight citrus kick at the end.

My dad ordered the Sukiyaki Don - a beef dish with sukiyaki sauce, carrots, zucchini and tofu, sitting atop a mound of sticky rice. I am happy to report that he liked his meal and its serving size, even though it lacked the grilled hunk of steak I'm sure he would have envisioned for dinner that night - a pleasant surprise for all.   

The food came out quite fast, probably within 10 minutes of ordering which was great considering the amount of food that was being prepared for take-away and the other sit-in customers. What Ocha2go lacks in table service, they make up for in food quality and speed. I would recommend it if you find yourself looking for casual dining around the Hawthorn area.

The Sukiyaki was a hit 

OCHA2GO

 64 Burwood Road

Hawthorn 

Tues - Sunday 11.30am- 2.30pm, 5.30- 9.30 (Not open for lunch on weekends)

 
Good for: Easy and informal dining with groups of any size. While not the trendiest cafe, there is certainly something great in this place and I've never seen it empty. 
Vegetarians: Will be happy with the selection on the menu as it caters for most eating preferences, with lots of tofu, vegetable-based and seafood dishes.
Wait time: I would have stood in line to order for about 5 minutes.
Food waiting time: Not long as all; it is the type of place where your drink arrives only a few seconds before your meal does.
Cost: Really good value. The spicy fish was $13.50 and the sukiyaki don was $16.50. All up, including drinks, we paid around $35.

 

YOUR WHITE TOP WON'T MAKE IT OUT UNSCATHED @ Laksa King

Life changes mean that I now am mostly unable to do brunch, which I used to do over quieter times during the week. It's all a bit of a downer but the obvious upside is that I can now suss out the dinner scene for Melbourne's poor studes. So far, it hasn't been too much of a stretch but it does take a little more planning when finding places that will fit the budget in the PM hours. 

The Seafood Curry Laksa

To begin this slightly new phase, a small group of us hit up the west side to visit Flemmington's Laksa King a couple of weeks ago. We went on a Monday night, thinking it would be pretty quiet, but the place was a hive of noodle eaters, with a quick turnover of customers. 

For some reason, I had assumed Laksa King would be this kind of little restaurant, intimate and a little smaller. Apparently, that's the old one. The new Laksa King, in reality, is quite large, with long communal tables and not a lot of space. It's more like a diner-style, fast-eating restaurant, instead of the 'sit down, chat and enjoy your meal' kind of place.

To be honest, huge eating places like this kind of put me off. This should be called 'foodcourt syndrome' - I think there is something kind of nasty about lots of people who don't know each other, eating in a room together. But hey, it's obvious Laksa King is a big hit, and it's turnover is huge, which meant we didn't have long to wait for our table.

The Beef Curry Laksa

It's not Pho King, and it's not Rice King, and as long as we were in the palace, we we're going to order it's signature dish. Between us, we chose the chicken, beef and seafood curry laksas.

My friends were big fans of their chicken and beef laksas. They reported back that there was lots of meat, the perfect merging of spice and coconut milk and enough noodles to last the soup.

I ordered the seafood version, which was also a good choice on a miserable Melbourne night.
The quality of seafood wasn't great, which is always a risk when you order seafood for cheaps, but was more then bearable. I was however, a big fan of the big cubes of fried tofu that soaked up the laksa. But I will concur with my pals that the coconut and spice flavours were right on in terms of taste - if not a little too intense coconut-wise. If you don't enjoy that usual 'breathing fire' feeling after eating spicy soups, then this is the place to come to because the laksa's aren't too intense. Ultimately, because of the coconut milk, this is one full bodied, voluptuous laksa and we struggled a bit after.

The pluses are that Laksa King is super, super quick, and really great value and you don't have to get laksa- the menu is diverse in offerings. It's the perfect student eat, especially as it's so close to Newmarket train station. The cons are that it's not the best quality food and I've heard that it's authenticity is questionable. At the same time, it's not 'a hang out for a leisurely meal sort of place'- you're in and out the door within half an hour and because of this, there isn't much ambiance to speak off.  However, that's probably why it's so popular, especially around the 6.30 mark when we went, just as people were arriving for a quick meal, from the end of a long day at work or uni.

         Having and blast with Antonia and her beef curry laksa

LAKSA KING 

6/10-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington VIC 3031

 

Mon-Sat

11:30am-3pm, 5-10:30pm

Good for: A quick Malaysian-style meal with a group of friends, after uni or work. Probably not as good for dates or 'serious' catch ups as the venue is not particularly romantic or private.
Vegetarians: Will be happy with the selection on the rather extensive menu as it caters for most eating preferences.
Wait time: Only a couple of minutes. Laksa King's turn over is fast and the venue is huge.
Food waiting time: Not long as all; it is the type of place where your drink arrives only a few seconds before your meal does.
Cost: My memory is terrible, but I think we all paid around $16 for our laksa and diet cokes, which was really good value for the decent size of the laksa.

#YOLO @ Fitzrovia

I haven’t ventured out to the south with Poor Student Eats, so the end of ‘FREEDOM WEEK’ was the perfect opportunity and my friend Yalei and I visited St Kilda Cafe, Fitzrovia for a splash out, lets-celebrate-the-last-days-of-freedom brunch on Saturday. Fitzrovia is appealing a soon as you enter, with a delectable bench of baked treats lining the front counter. What could be more enticing then mountains of beautiful food on arrival?

The Saturday we visited was the perfect day to pop in,  as the cafe was drowning in sunlight from a warm afternoon. Fitzrovia is beautiful and spacious, with fantastic light fittings and interesting details; crates of fresh vegetables and bunches of flowers that give it modern-day general store vibe.

We found a table immediately and sat down for a few minutes before some staff realised we were there. I ended up ordering the haloumi and zucchini fritters, while Y ordered some kind of prawn pasta. We were both feeling flashy, so threw caution to the wind and ordered polenta chips to share. In hindsight, this wasn’t a great idea. Too much food. Not enough stomach. The worst of all first world problems, but Fitzrovia's menu is excellent and it's difficult to hold back.

The Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters; a meal that would serve me well for the rest of the day.

The haloumi fritters though, were a wonderful idea. Perfectly portioned and served with a poached egg and chutney on the side, they meal’s components were complementary to each other and when combined created a sweetly-savory dish. The chutney added a necessary moisture to the dry, but still crunchy fritters and went well with the slight zucchini flavour that gradually came through. My friend reported back that her pasta was really good, substantially sized and included plenty of fresh seafood.

With so many great places offering them, it’s hard to mess up polenta chips and Fitzrovia’s truffled polenta chips too were also v. good. Crunchy, beautifully coloured and sprinkled with salt and parsley, they were everything you could want in a polenta chip selection. But there was no sauce.? Come on, guys. We all love condiments and there aren’t many crunchy things that can remain enjoyable without some kind of moisture.

However, Fitzrovia checked all the boxes for my ideal brunch: A good, solid serving size, an interesting meal, a touch of sweetness and the requisite brunch 'egg'. Fitzrovia really demonstrates why I like to eat out - food like this isn't food I would regularly experience by cooking myself which was my favourite thing about this cafe. Do you remember a few posts ago when I was talking about how I loved that feeling of being excited after ordering a meal?  You get that feeling here and they certainly deliver on their menus promises.

If you're considering ordering juice; ask for ice on the side. Although freshly prepared, they are as think as smoothies.

Staff at the cafe were a little slow considering that we had just missed the rush and the cafe was quite empty, but were also quite friendly when we did see them. The wait for the food wasn't too long, but service could have been a little more attentive.

The meal was kind of horrific for my $20 budget. A good way to justify this is to say that it would be a long time until the next brunch, so I may as well buy two brunches in one sitting. As my total came to $30, this is almost what happened, except I’m never been very good at maths so my adding up can probably take part of the blame for the unexpected price hike. So, I’ve said it; Fitzrovia, as fantastic as it was, was not exactly a Poor Student Eats Eat, but if you’ve got the resources, it’s a great place to dine and has an excellent menu to boot.

Later, I read that it’s some kind of store policy that all ingredients used must come from within 100KM of the store. I felt slightly less guilty after hearing that. At least I’m doing my bit to support the Victorian economy. This was last-week-of-freedom-week after all. YOLO.

FITZROVIA

155 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda 

Tue to Sun 7am–11pm

Good for: A solid breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. The menu is great. 
Vegetarians: Will be happy with the selection on the menu - it's fantastic, and caters for most eating preferences.
Wait time: The cafe was quiet when we arrived, around 1.30 on a Saturday. We walked right in and found a table.
Food waiting time: Not too long, but there was a considerable amount of time between arriving and receiving menus, which wasn't a great start. 
Cost: I paid around $30 for my fritters, a juice and half of the polenta chips. It was an expensive meal, but a great one and although it's a lot more then I generally spend, the food was really great. It's just a shame the service wasn't so snappy. 

 Somehow, we fit in dessert a few doors down at YO-GET-IT. Yam Yam.