Mr Huang Jin - Melbourne CBD

I've been wanting to try this place for quite a while but could not be bothered to drive into the city on my own on a friday night with congested traffic. So the opportunity came up one Friday when my husband wanted to have Japanese and went we got there the restaurant was close down. So without further hesitation I suggested we try Huang Jin which was just a few streets away. 

It was not too crowded when we got there and there was plenty of empty tables available. The wait staff showed us to the table and handed us our menu, which I did not really need as I already knew what I wanted since I had already checked out the menu beforehand. 

Taiwanese Fried Chicken 

Spring onion cakes with egg on top

The fried chicken was awesome in my daughter's words, she enjoyed every bite of it and so did me and hubby. It was crispy on the outside and really moist and juicy tender meat. It came serve with a chilli mayo which we had to ask for more that was how good it was. As for the spring onion pancake I did not really enjoy that as it had egg on the top and I do not want to be biase in my opinion but my daughter love it. 

Soft shell crab on sticky rice

Then came the soft shell crab, note that this was not on the menu as it was a chef's special which the wait staff forgot to mention but I knew it existed because I read some blog reviews previously. The crab was a bit too oily for my liking I could feel the oil travel down my throat as I ate it and it was a small piece of crab which did not justify the price, the portion was really small.

Chilli Wantons

Salmon Wrap

Next we had the chilli wantons which was a generous portion and the sauce that came with it complimented the dish well, it was not too spicy. The salmon wrap is another chef's special which you will not find on the menu, the salmon was crumbed and wrapped with vegetables and mayo. This was divine and all I can say is it's a must try. 

Xiao Long Bao

We had ordered the xiao long bao's (shanghai dumplings) as well and after all the dishes had arrived we still have not got it yet. So I had to remind them we were waiting for it and they had actually forgot to add that in which they were apologetic for. I must say that I was disappointed though when I bite into it, for one they were definitely a lot smaller in size than the wantons and they did not have much of the broth in the fillings. So there was really no burst at the bite sort of feel. All I can say is that I've tasted better elsewhere.

Red bean pancake with sesame ice cream

To finish off the meal we had the red bean pancake and what can I say it was the best way to complete the meal. The red bean filling was generous and although the pancake was fried in batter it was not oily like the soft shell crab. The sesame ice cream was really good you get the taste of sesame in every mouthful, it was so good I ask the wait staff who their supplier was as I wanted a whole tub. She mention that it was made in house.

Overall this place has got a few hits and misses, there were some dishes that did not live up to my expectations where some shone thru like the dessert which I'm definitely going back for. But the price certainly did not justify the tapas size portions. 

Location:

The Rialto

525 Collins St

Melbourne 3000

Man Tong Kitchen - Crown

This restaurant recently open in Crown and when there's a new kid on the block I'm definitely one of those who would want to be the first few to try them out in the first few months when they open their doors for business. So when a friend's birthday came up it only seem the right time and opportunity to savor what they had to offer. We did not make reservations for dinner on a Saturday night and that was a mistake but because we thought that we were having a late dinner it should not matter, well we were wrong. It was a half an hour wait for a table but the waitress was apologetic and came out with nuts to appease our patience which we politely declined. The place was really crowded and the wait staff was busy running from table to table. When we were shown our table the menus were already there which was a good thing so we got stuck into looking at what was going to be our choice for that night. Dumplings seems to be their signature dish as mention in their menu so we thought we can't go wrong with that to start off. 

Boneless chicken in chinese rice wine

Wontons in hot chilli

I personally found the boneless chicken a little bland and also I'm not a big fan of steam chicken. The wantons were yummy, the skin was thin and it was not overcooked on the inside. Note that we ordered the shanghai dumplings aka xiao long bao as part of the appetiser but by the time the mains was serve we still had not got our dumplings so began the chase and wait game.

Fish fillet in ginger and spring onion sauce

Stir fried string beans with szechuan chilli sauce

The first two mains that arrive was the fish which was not too oily and seasoning was just right. The string beans we enjoyed thoroughly, it was cook just right and the crsipy bits of garlic and mince meat gave it a depth of flavour. This was by far a favourite dish. 

Spicy Szechuan Noodles with Mince Meat

And after 45 mins have passed we still have not got our shanghai dumplings and the rest of our mains, we felt service was a little bit slack. The next dish to arrive was the noodles but we had to send this dish back to the kitchen as it was serve in broth and that was not the way it is usually cooked. Szechuan noodles are like spaghetti it is noodle cooked al dente serve with a meat sauce. So we told the wait staff that we wanted it dry and there was no mention in the menu that it was going to be served in soup. But what return to the table was a disappointment, as picture above there was hardly any sauce on the noodles. 

Fried White Bait in Salt & Pepper

Xiao Long Bao

The last two dishes to arrive was the white bait which we had to remind the wait staff that we were waiting on and finally the dumplings. the white bait was crispy and not oily at all. As for the dumpling after the long wait all I can say is that I've tasted better. It did not burst with broth and flavour.

Overall this place is a hit and miss, there are a couple of good dishes. Does it warrant a return visit? Perhaps but not anytime soon.


Location:
Man Tong Kitchen
Crown Casino

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

It's spring in November and what that also means is the that the races are on too. And I got an invite to a friend's Melbourne Cup day party, which by the way is a public holiday only in Melbourne, we take our racing very seriously. So putting on my thinking cap I started to wonder what to bring, to make things easier she has all the food taken care of except for dessert. So I browse the website and found this one and thought how appropriate to bring cupcakes meant only for adults. That had beer, whiskey and liqueur all in the one place.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Plain looking cupcakes

 DIRECTIONS:

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

 For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Whiskey ganache in the centre

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream

Pretty bailey's frosting

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip (I use the wilton 1M), or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

X-section of the cupcake

Again this was a bit of a process to make, not difficult at all just cumbersome, but they turn out really good. My daughter mention that they smell really good too which was from the bailey's. I actually got high on the cupcakes as they had a pretty good alcohol content or maybe my measurement which was left much to be desired was not that accurate a splash more here and there won't hurt hey....

I've use stout in cooking but not in baking so I was surprise that there was'nt a strong hint of it in the cupcakes but it did make the cupcakes moist and sponge like. And the ganache just added a depth to the whole cupcake hidden in innocent only to be revealed when you take a bite out of it.