St Katherine's - Kew

It was my wedding anniversary the weekend that just pass and I was looking for somewhere nice to celebrate at. And my search directed me to this restaurant that is own by renown celebrity chef George Calombaris. The restaurant spans over two levels which makes it perfect for a big group although in this instance it was just me, hubby and daughter. The ground level for casual diners and the 2nd level reserve mainly for private dining.

The open kitchen concept

Menu

As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the friendly host, she asked my name to check the reservation register and promptly showed us to our table. I could not wait to get stuck into the menu to order all the delectable food this place had to offer. The wait staff we had was really enthusiastic and seem really genuine to be of service to the hungry diners. He was patient to explain stuff on the menu we were not clear about, a plus when the wait stuff know what the kitchen is serving.

Mini Chicken Burger

We started with the Katherine fried chicken bucket which seems to be a popular starter with the diners there and knew that we cannot go wrong with it. I ordered a mini burger for DD as she's a very fussy eater and will not eat anything new or out of the ordinary so best to play safe with what she is use to. And that prove to be a winner she gave it the thumbs up. 

Katherine's Fried Chicken (KFC)

The food was serve really quick which was a huge bonus as I was starving at that stage as I did not have anything for lunch. The chicken was like little nuggets crumbed with a coating of spices, it was crispy on the outside. It came serve with a bottle of barbecue sauce and a bottle of Japanese mayo. What did I think of it? Well like it's name it was just fried chicken.

Sticky Pork Ribs

For mains I got the sticky pork ribs and hubby being a huge fan of fish went straight for the barramundi. The pork was so tender that the meat just fell off the bone with no effort although I was not convince about the sauce that came with it, was not as sticky as I expected it was a runny sauce.  As for the fish it was fresh and the skin was crispy which was cooked with a very nice herb paste rub on it. I personally prefer my fish filleted which was an option here as I cannot be bothered to pick thru bones but hubby wanted it with the bone and all.

Whole Barramundi

So where's the review on the desserts you must be asking, in this instance we did not have any as we were all so full by this stage and could not put in another thing into our already bursting tummies. The temptation was there but I resisted and thought I'll leave it to another time which will give me an excuse to make another trip back. 

Note that most of the food served are meant to be shared and there is more than enough serving for 2 average adults. The overall experience was pleasant and in a reasonable price range.

Location:
26 Cotham Road
Kew

Mixed Berry Macaroon Tart

I recently saw this dessert featured in one of the episodes of My Kitchen Rules and it had high compliments from the judges and knew I had to make it. It did not look that difficult to make and went about to search the recipe on google, lo and behold it yielded a few results. I chose the recipe close to what I had seen on the show and found out that it was a recipe from Super Natural Everyday cookbook written by Heidi Swanson.

The original recipe uses Spelt (wheat free flour which is low in gluten) and coconut flour both of which is not a common ingredient in my pantry therefore I adapted the recipe and make a few changes.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups plain flour 3/4 cup unsweetened finely shredded Coconut
3/4 cup lightly packed Demerara Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
10 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted

Filling:

2 cups unsweetened finely shredded Coconut
1/2 cup Sugar
4 large Egg Whites
1 1/2- 2 cups Berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries)
1/3 cup Pistachios, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180deg. Butter an 8 x 10inch tart tin.
2. To make the crust, in a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut, sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter and mix until dough is crumbly but no longer dusty looking. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until barely golden. Remove and cool for a few moments.
3. In the meantime, prepare the coconut macaroon filling by combining the coconut, sugar and egg whites. Mix until well combined.
4. Evenly distribute most of the berries on the crust and drop large spoonfuls of the macaroon filling over the tops of them. Mush and press the topping around the spaces behind the berries. Add the last few berries to the top.
5. Bake for 20- 25 minutes, until the peaks of the macaroon filling are deeply golden. Let the tart cool, then garnish with the crushed pistachios before slicing.

Since I did not make the original version of this tart by the cookbook I cannot say for sure if there is a difference in taste but I must say the variation I make tasted really good. And since I did not have any pistachios, I omitted that from the recipe as well. If one fine day I have all the original ingredients I might just give this recipe another try. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy a slice of this moist goodness.

Killiney Kopitiam - Lygon St

I'm constantly looking for good Asian places to eat, predominantly from Singapore well known as a food paradise. I miss the best selection of local food on offer such as Hainanese Chicken rice, Cha Kway Teow, Fried Carrot cake and the list goes on. So when Killiney opened up in Melbourne I was ecstatic, as I knew I was in for a treat. 

The menu

I ordered the soya bean with grass jelly, it was served cold and not too sweet. Great drink to have on a hot sweltering day.

Soya Bean with Grass Jelly

I never go pass ordering Cha Kway Teow (fried flat rice noodles) if it's on the  menu as that is the essence of Asian delights. We decided that we will order this as a share dish. You know the place has potential by the way they cook the fried kway teow, it has to have a burnt wok hei flavour and the right seasoning. And this one did not disappoint, me and Al enjoyed every mouthful of it.

Cha Kway Teow

Al had the mee rebus which was noodles served with a thick broth made up of spices and peanuts. She was delightfully please as it tasted just like the ones they have back home in Singapore. She gave it the authenticity thumbs up.

Mee Rebus

I ordered the Lontong which is basically boiled rice which is packed tight and wrapped in banana leaves which cook in boiling water, which is served in a coconut infused spice broth filled with a few types of vegetables. I had no complaints it was done just the way I remembered.

Lontong

If you want a taste of Singapore, this place will not disappoint although I do hope that they will keep their good standard for a long time to come as many eateries start out really good but slack off as soon as they become popular and rake in enough money. 

Location:

114 Lygon St

Carlton

Sweet & Sour Fish

Chinese New Year was celebrated on 10 Feb this year and the year of the Snake was ushered in it goes for 15 days, although living in Melbourne we still have a good population of chinese that celebrates this festive season. I have a lot of Singaporean chinese friends and I was invited to one of their house for a New Year celebration. The host requested that we bring a dish each and thought what better dish to bring than fish because the chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for prosperity or abundance.

To prepare the fish you will require the following:

1kg Barramundi fish fillet cut into bite size pieces

2 cups plain flour (Reserve 1/2 cup for coating)

1 1/2 cups cold beer

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt 

Oil for deep frying

In a bowl mix the plain flour, beer, cayenne pepper and salt it does not have to be a smooth batter the lumps when fried will be crunchy. Coat the fish with plain flour dusting off any excess, deep in the batter and fry in a  hot oil wok till golden. Set aside.



Fried Fish Fillet

 Vegetable:

1 red capsicum

1 green capsicum

1 can pineapple pieces (reserve the juice)

2 tomatoes

1 large red onion



Vegetables

Sauce:

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup shiao hsing wine

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp corn flour

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl except the corn flour, heat a wok and add the sauce into the wok and bring to a boil. Stir the corn flour with 1/4 cup water and add to the sauce. Add all the vegetables and simmer. Lastly add the fried fish pieces into the sauce and mix well to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Caroline Thai - Caroline Springs

After trying a few thai restaurants in Melbourne I must say this is so far the best in terms of variety of dishes, consistent in taste and pricing although I must say this is my own personal opinion and anyone can challenge that it they think otherwise. I've been here many times but never blog about it till now since I just started blogging and thought I'll give this place the credit it deserves in the blog world.

We never go pass the soups which is the representation of Thai cuisine. The tom  yum is spicy but not to the extend that you cannot feel the sensations of your taste bud. You get the taste of lemongrass, the lime leaves and spice paste all doing a dance in your mouth as you savour each mouthful. The tom kha equally as good as the tom yum is for the less brave who can't handle their spice intake. The base of the broth is coconut milk and a mixture of other thai herbs.

Tom Yum - Chicken

Tom Kha - Seafood

The other dishes not to miss are the selection from the chef's special, I ordered the golden nest which is basically a chicken and prawn dish serve on a bed of fried noodles to represent the nest. Being a fan of seafood I could not go pass the soft shell crab garlic, which was a good portion size.  The crab was fried till crispy and was not at all greasy. The pictures are a little amatuer as I took them using my mobile.

Golden Nest Chicken - Chef's Special

Soft Crab Garlic - Chef's Special

Another good dish to try is the grilled bbq pork, the meat was tender and it was a nice sweet honey marinate that gave the pork a "burnt" crispy taste.

Grilled Bbq Pork

If you are in the area of Caroline Springs and looking for something to eat be sure to give this place a try, you will not be disappointed. They are generous with the portions and real good value for money. No matter how many times I have eaten there they have never failed to deliver on consistency. You have to book for weekends as they do get a crowd.

Location:

Shop 8

218-222 Caroline Springs Boulevard

Caroline Springs

Cherry Crumble Cake

It's cherry season and we have abundance of it at the moment and at very cheap prices, so I cannot resist buying this little morsels. Well I went a little overboard and realize I had boxes of it in my freezer, so came the quest to find something to make out of it. And lo and behold I found this cake recipe from one of my many cookbooks.

For the crumble:

• 75gm plain flour 
• 75gm demerara sugar
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g unsalted butter

 For the cake:

• 2 free-range eggs
• 150gm unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 125gm caster sugar
• 125gm sour cream
• 250gm plain flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g cherries pitted

 Method:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm/8in springform cake tin.
  2. For the crumble, place the flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter into a bowl and, using your fingertips, rub the mixture together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside.
  3. For the cake, beat the eggs, butter and sugar in a bowl for five minutes with an electric whisk.
  4. Stir in the soured cream, then fold in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda until well combined and smooth.
  5. Spoon half of the mixture into the cake tin, top with the cherries, then the remaining cake mixture. Sprinkle over the topping.
  6. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  8. For the glaze, whisk the icing sugar and two tablespoons of milk together in a bowl. (Add a little extra milk if the mixture is too thick.)
  9. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake and set aside for 10 minutes, or until the glaze hardens.
      

  
  

  

 

The cake turn out really moist and the cherry gave it a healthy option anything with fruits in it should be good NO? Although I would have love the crumble to be crumbly but that was entirely my fault as I left the butter out too early and it went too soft in the summer heat. Something to remember for next time, never leave out the butter on a hot day.

 

 

Station Hotel - Footscray

It's friday night and after a long week at work, me and hubby usually have a family dinner out to wind down. As I cannot be bothered to come home and slave over the kitchen another day by this time my energy level have depleted completely. 

Hubby did not have anything in mind to eat so I let my fingers do the walking and google for places to eat around my area. And in a few seconds a whole list of suggestions came thru, and quickly my eye caught the caption Melbourne's Top 5 Best Restaurant for Fine Steak and that sealed my decision.

Parts of the cuts of a cow

When we arrive and walk through the door, the dining area was full and the whole scene was a little chaotic, I was a little despondent as I thought we would be turn away but as we waited to be seated no service staff approach us. So hubby spotted a table closer to the bar area and said we should take that one. I insisted we wait for a wait staff, after five minutes and staff running amok hubby approach a staff and asked for a table for 3 but was politely told we could sit anywhere we wanted. 

Doh! I'm sure one of the staff who was running helter skelter could have stopped for a few precious seconds and told us that. Anyway we proceeded to take our seats and no menu was handed to us, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the menu and went to get it myself. After looking and knowing what we wanted we wondered what do we do next, will someone take our orders at the table or should we order from the bar. It was really hard to get the attention of a wait staff who was busy serving, cleaning up and then serving and cleaning up, so I got up and took the initiative to ask someone behind the bar. 

The Menu

Wow lo and behold they were busy too, by this stage I was ready to throw in the towel and walk out but then a ray of hope and I was asked if I was ready to order by someone behind the counter who was really friendly and courteous. After the meals, drinks and dessert was ordered it was a matter of waiting for our food to arrive, by this time all three of us was famished. We were promptly serve with complimentary crusty bread and butter, which was nothing to rave about all I could say that it was provided to fill us up a little.

As soon as the food arrived we could not wait to sink our teeth into, so it was with much difficulty that I had to keep the cutlery off so that I could take the photos.

Fish & Hand Cut Chips

DD and I shared the fish. I was really impressed after the first mouthful, the chips was chunky, crispy and really fluffy on the inside. The salad vinaigrette was really light and refreshing, and the salad leaves crisp and fresh. Fish meat was really fresh and the batter was light, really crispy not greasy at all. 

Grain Fed Angus Steak

No guesses on who had the steak, there was a choice between pepper or Bearnaise sauce and hubby went with pepper which I got served on the side just in case hubby did not like it as he prefers mushroom sauce. Hubby had nothing but praise for his meal, in between mouthfuls telling me how tender and how good the sauce was. I'm not much of a steak person but by the way hubby was enjoying it I had to have a bite of it, I was not disappointed the meat practically melted in my mouth I know it's not possible for meat to melt but this one did, it was so tender.

Sticky Date & Walnut Pudding

We always have room for dessert especially if sticky date is on the menu, our family's all time favourite. Although it was a bit of a wait but we were kept up to date on the progress of it by the wait staff, by this time the crowd had thin out and they had a bit of free time. The sticky date was served with butterscotch sauce and ice cream. It was moist and not too sweet on the palate.

Warm Chocolate Cake

The chocolate cake was served hot unlike the description on the menu which was warm and when I say hot it was straight from the oven. I burnt my tongue with the first mouthful, thank goodness for the ice cream. The only complaint I have was that the ice cream was not enough on both desserts could have done with a bit more.

Overall the meal gets our Thumbs Up! Definitely will be coming back here again, wish I had found this treasure earlier but as they say better late than never and the next time I'll be sure to make advance reservations. For all you who's going there for the first time just walk straight in, find a table, get a menu and order from the bar. 

Location:

59 Napier St

Footscray

Brother Burger & The Marvellous Brew - Fitzroy

Thanks to a friend for babysitting DH, me and hubby had a chance to go on a date which is rare as we have  no family to rely on in Australia. So we decided to have dinner out and a movie after, we decided on this burger joint as it was recommended by a colleague who had been there previously. 

First impressions was not a let down the place was huge and there was ample sitting space, we chose a quiet spot for two close to the bar.  We were promptly handed our menus and the waitress came back within 5 mins to get our drinks order. I had the banana and dark rum which is the adult version of a milkshake but I was in for a let down. It tasted of just milk and no other flavor of either the banana or the rum and it was really diluted but I was not going to let this ruin the rest of my dining experience there, so I decided to let this slip and looked forward to the rest of what was ordered to come.

The Menu

We started with the entree of corn hush puppies which was basically mash potatoes with corn and crumbed and then fried served with their chilli jam. The entree did not disappoint and it whet our appetite for what was to come.

Onion Rings with Mayo & Chilli Jam

The burgers did not come serve with sides, so we added on the onion rings and it was a good choice as the onion rings were huge rings of onion and fried to golden crispyness.

Corn Hush Puppies

Steak and Garlic Herb Burger

Hubby ordered the special on the board which was the steak and garlic herb sauce burger with bacon and mustard. The steak was done medium rare and all the flavours just went well together. The buns were serve warm and soft.

Fish Fillet Burger

I ordered the fish fillet burger with lettuce and tartare sauce. The fish was fresh and moist, the batter that coated the fish was light and crispy. Although I would have like the fish to cover the whole bun instead of part of it.

Overall it was a pleasant meal and service was really quick from point or ordering to serving of meals. If you want something quick this is a great place to consider. This is a joint I'll definitely make a return to again soon. 

Location:
413 Brunswick St
Fitzroy 

Sticky Date Pudding

This is one of those recipes that you usually have all the ingredients for in the pantry already, as for the dates I had some leftover from a previous recipe. There is really no effort needed to make sticky date, a quick and easy dessert to whip up if you have last minute guest coming over or if you want something in a jiffy.

Ingredients

Pudding

• 340g dried dates, pitted, chopped
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
• 500ml water
• 120g butter
• 340g brown sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 340g self raising flour

Sauce

• 400g brown sugar
• 200ml cream
• 250g butter

 *Note that I half the ingredients and got 6 muffin size puddings.

Ingredients all mix in with the dates

Method

• Preheat oven to 150 $C. Grease and baking paper-line a round 26cm spring form cake tin.
• Place dates, bi-carb and water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring, until dates break down. Turn off heat and cool slightly.
• Add butter, stir until melted and fully combined.
• Mix in brown sugar, add eggs and vanilla and stir well to combine.
• Fold in sifted flour until just combined.
• Pour into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in tin.
• For sauce, place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for minutes until golden.
• To serve, slice pudding and cover generously with sauce.

Note: If you are using a muffin pan bake for 30mins instead.

Batter ready for baking

Instead of baking all the batter in a tin I use a muffin pan instead as I wanted to serve them individually, another reason is also sometimes I did not want to bake all the batter and prefer to freeze it and use it as and when I had a craving. That way all I needed to do was to defrost the batter, scoop it into the muffin pan and I had freshly bake warm puddings every time.

Sticky date with butterscotch sauce and ice cream

Such a warm and comforting dessert on a cold day, although it's a hit with my family any day.

Lazat Malaysian Restaurant - Sunshine

You do not get many Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants in the west area as they are usually concentrated in areas like Box Hill or Doncaster where the majority of the community is. So when a place opens up near to where you live you can't wait to try it out.

The initial impression as you walk in was pretty promising, the place was clean and spacious. The service was quick as well, we got our menus as soon as we sat down maybe because it was after the lunch peak and there was not many customers. I look through the menu and ordered the following, the food did not take long to arrive at our table.

Fried Kway Teow

I was disappointed the moment the fried kway teow was served, the plate was covered with bean shoots which I would say there was 70% shoots to the noodles. There was no "wok hei" (smoky burnt wok flavour) taste to it either and it was greasy.

Roti with Curry Sauce



DH had the roti and she like it commenting that the roti was soft and fluffy although she felt that the curry was a little too spicy for her palate.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Another disappointing dish as it tasted like it was microwave from a box of frozen pack. The batter on the pork was really thick and flourry. And as for the sauce it was like a concoction of tomato sauce and vinegar with no other flavours.

Seasonal Vegetables with Garlic Sauce

Stir fry vegetables is something that you cannot get wrong, it's the simplest form as asian cooking. In this instance although the veg still had crunch to it, it lack in flavour and was a little too greasy for my liking.

All in all it was not a very pleasant meal and if you ask me the million dollar question if I would ever go back, the answer will be a big NO. Well maybe you might argue that I can't judge by this few dishes and I should try a few more of their offerings before making a decision but in my opinion if you can't make a good plate of fried kway teow then you have failed the taste test. I would rather travel all that way to the likes of Doncaster and Box Hill for good asian food.


Location:
495 Ballarat Road
Sunshine