Melbourne

These gorgeous burgers were fast food actually at “slow food values” (how ironic compared to A&W at Jewel). We’re gonna say that they tasted much better than many fast food burgers in SG. Juicy patties, yummy cheese, fresh vegetables and great buns. Kinda healthy tasting as the patties were not oily and with all those vegetables. All those fries were yum. Very crispy, fresh and hot from the fryer.
So yeah, recommended choice for a good burger around Melbourne as they have a few outlets, especially in the CBD.

A perfect treat during our break from the shopping at Chadstone mall.

With creations and presentation like that of Masterchef Australia, their desserts and drinks were designed to engage the senses.
The desserts definitely spoke for themselves on the table before we were further intrigued by the taste and textures upon tasting.
Not going into details but we had their Sticks and Stones, Cherry Poppins as well as their signature Smoking Rosemary Caramelia Cigar (served smoking in a cigar box). Their cocktails were as theatrical. Sex on St Kilda Beach was a play on the beach, with “seashell and pearls on the sand” which were all edible. More smokey business with the Smoking Marshmallow Colada which was just apt with our chocolate cigars.

We picked @hashspecialtycoffee and landed ourselves some good coffee and also this awesome bacon French croissant for breakfast.
The croissant was done French toast way, stuffed with bacons and drizzled with maple syrup, absolutely delicious. The caramelised bananas on the side were also nicely done with a thin, smooth crispy crust. On the whole, this was one breakfast perfect for a nice strong coffee to go with.

Fresh and cooked perfectly. We love ours with tasty curry broth and also white wine broth. Just the right kinda stuff for the cold weather.

It has a consistent queue of tourists as well as locals too.
However, we didn’t really appreciate the dense and doughy (pun unintended) texture of their doughnuts. Ok for a packet to share in a group for some snacks I guess.

@kettleblackcafe at South Melbourne is one of those with a chic urban interior with a nice al fresco to sip a coffee and watch the people pass by.
We picked their very colourful Ricotta Hotcake which was certainly beautiful and had lots of seeds and grains for a superfood breakfast. Underneath that was a thick and moist pancake. Together with a dense cream, this was satisfying but we would recommend to share with 2 to 3 as the portion was quite a feat to finish it.
The chilli omelette with crab meat and crayfish oil was full of umami and a delicious egg dish for brunch. Coffee here was good, especially to go with a tasty croissant on a sweet note.
Without travelling to the South, one can also visit @highergroundmelbourne which is affiliated and more centrally located in the CBD.

We loved every dish that we ordered. The risotto was cooked to authentic al dente perfection, with that bite in the middle of each grain. Flavour was on point too. Similarly for the pasta that we had.
The octopus with n’duja sauce will be a must-order. The sauce was so delicious they’d even offer to add some bread to wipe up every bit of it on the plate. Porcini mushroom croquette was a great appetiser to start the meal with. Pork sausage too was a yummy dish with the polenta crisp.
So whether to @tipo_00 next door or this, we think both would be a place to visit when in Melbourne be satisfied some good Italian food.

We arrived past 8 in the morning and could already see people streaming in. With a chic open kitchen concept and lots of open space under the warehouse building, this was indeed an attractive place to chill at, over a coffee and one of their renowned croissants.
We selected a few, including an original, chocolate, almond and cheese croissants. Their croissant by itself was pretty tasty. Thin layers of flaky crust with a light fluffy fill. Pretty much how a good croissant should be.
Although some might argue that their croissants couldn’t compare to that from France, but these were, in our opinions, already good. The ones with fillings that we tried were also delicious in their own flavours.
So the ultimate question: were these worth the queue? We will want to be able to seat ourselves and enjoy a coffee with the croissants after some queue. A pity there were limited seats at the cafe so for takeaways we think probably 15 mins would still be acceptable.
However, for S’poreans the KPI should be very different. If one can wait 2 hours for A&W, that will be nothing for these yummy croissants.

While the friendly staff tried to run through their many popular dishes, we decided to leave the meal to them and just “let them feed us”.
So our “Omakase” started with a platter of fresh oysters and an interesting smoked eel, before being treated with 3 small plates crafted with more seafood, before our 2 mains with an Ocean Trout and Barramundi.
The dishes were simply too complicated to describe so we would just let the photos do the talking instead. Nevertheless, they were beautifully presented, distinct and bold in flavours to bring out the freshness of the catches.
Dessert for the meal was another delicious dish, with Sorrel Panna Cotta and elderflower sorbet. Thanks to the wonderful staff, we also got to try their popular chocolate soufflé which will be highly recommended if you are either a soufflé or chocolate fan.
Dining here was definitely a memorable experience. The black interior was chic, staff were absolutely attentive and professional. So for a change from the meat and pasta in the CBD, this will make a good place to visit.

This had been on our list to dine at Melbourne, and indeed it marked an epic record on our makan diary.
The flawless shaped Mandarin orange cut open to a big portion of chicken liver parfait, good for sharing by 2-3 persons.
We also had the Frumenty grilled octopus which was perfectly executed, and the Kedgeree which was a delicate tasting plate of grilled abalone, prawn, leek hearts and saltbush. For something stronger, their Roast Marrowbone Royale combined the bold flavours of marrowbone, snails and smoked anchovy.
Each of these was sophisticatedly prepared and a great start to the rest of our Dinner that followed.