Restaurant Review: Crystal Jade

Location: 154 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

Phone: (03) 9639 2633

Cuisine: Chinese

Overall impression: 5.5/10 

Crystal Jade is one of the few restaurants that offer yum cha alongside good and prompt service. It has a nice ambience and if you are seated near the glass windows, it is such a delight to look out and see the bustle of China Town. 

As far as the yum cha experience goes, the food certainly meets expectations. Although the Xiao Long Baos do not hold a candle to Hutong's offerings, the rest of the items were very good. The following are some of the dishes we had.

 

It was perfect for the relaxing Sunday brunch we were after.

Cafe Review: Barista Espress

Location: TG03, Ground Level,  Goldsborough Lane, 181 William Street, Melbourne

Phone:  (03) 9670 6620

Cuisine: Cafe-style food

Overall impression: 5/10 

     

I finally got to catch up with my  wonderful ex-colleagues after months of planning! It wasn't a particularly good day for a catch up. The weather was horrible - it was absolutely freezing, and very soon, we could see the rain falling down from where we sat.

We quickly forgot about the weather.  JW had just returned from an exciting trip and it was really good to see her and ASP had exciting news about a delicious man in her life.

Neither of us had eaten at Barista Café but this was a pleasant experience. The food met expectations, the coffee was better than average and the service was prompt.

Being in Goldsborough lane is pretty cool too cause that meant we could do a bit of shopping before returning to our respective work places.

 Pizza with side salad

Creamy mushroom and avocado rigatoni

Restaurant Review: Margo's (Revisited)

Location: Crown casino, Southbank
Link: http://www.crowncasino.com.au/margos
Cuisine: Modern Australian

Was craving veal shanks so I suggested we all head to Margo's. This is my fourth visit and even though having dinner inside a casino is not exactly ideal, I have always found it an enjoyable casual dining experience.

It happened to be Ben's birthday and after telling one of the staff members, we were served with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine each and a nice coffee and cherry cake to end the meal. The cherries on the cake were delightfully alcoholic.

 Veal shank slow-cooked veal served with mashed potatoes and vegetables

Again, the veal shanks were very good.

J ordered the 'surf & turf' - moreton bay bug and 200g porterhouse steak with chips and salad.

He said is was 'ok'. The bug was good and the steak was cooked 'medium', like he had requested.

I guess the food isn't all that fantastic but I find Margo's really honest. It’s a weird way to describe a restaurant but its just fair. The food is consistently what you expect it to be. It might not be a magical meal but its always enjoyable and suitably casual.

And the complimentary sparkling wine and birthday cake was a nice touch. Well played, sir. Well played.

Cafe Review: Eclipse

Location: Rear of the Intercontinental Hotel – enter off Flinders Lane, 495 Collins Street, Melbourne

Phone: 03 9629 7703

Cuisine: Cafe-style food

Link: http://www.eclipsecoffee.com.au/temp/

Overall impression: 7/10 

J and I decided to try the coffee at Eclipse.  Apparently coffee places are ranked with "beans" and only a few have a three bean status (Eclipse being a café that does).

And the coffee certainly did not disappoint! The lunch menu looked really good as well so we'll definitely need to go back and try it out. 

Caffè macchiato

Restaurant Review: Nam Loong Chinese Restaurant

Location: 223 Russell St, Melbourne

Phone: (03) 9663 4089

Cuisine: Chinese

Overall impression: 1/10 - in relation to noodles, 8/10 - in relation to Pork Buns (Char siew bao)

They have the best steamed pork buns in Melbourne but the noodles we had were unbelievably tasteless. I guess the lesson of the story is, do yourself a favour and stick to the yummy steamed buns!

Restaurant Review: Michel's Restaurant & Bar, Novotel

Location: 270 Collins Street, Melbourne

Phone: +61 3 9667 5800

Link: http://www.novotelmelbourne.com.au/melbourne-cbd-restaurant.html

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Overall impression: 6/10

There is a stigma related to restaurants within hotels. There is always a presumption that the food will be well presented but for some reason have that sort of this-food-was-prepared-in-a-hotel taste. I'm not sure how to describe that sensation but hopefully you know what I mean.

As such, I was pleasantly surprised at my experience at Michel's. I had the opportunity of indulging in their buffet lunch. I generally dislike buffets because I have self-control issues, but I'll leave that for another day. Now, back to the restaurant.

The food was actually very enjoyable. I particularly liked their chickpea salad, roasted chicken and cashew nut and peach salad. Desserts wise, the highlight was definitely the delectable pecan tart.

Even though the experience didn't blow my mind or anything, it was nontheless worth blogging about. Oh and great service. Very attentive staff who were just the right amount of 'friendly'.

Restaurant Review: Old Kingdom

Location: 683 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills, 3127
Phone: (03) 9898 3343
Cuisine: Chinese, Malaysian
Overall Impression: 6/10

The service was appalling but with Peking duck that good, I must admit, I will definitely be back.

 The duck was simply perfect. The skin was deliciously crisp, with a thin and perfect layer of fat (its always disastrous when the fat is too thick or chewy - personally, that produces a gag effect). The crepes were moist and delicately thin. The plum sauce concoction was good. The only thing I could fault them on was the lack of condiments to go with the duck. Give me more cucumber and spring onion!

The other dishes that come with ordering the duck (i.e. leftover pieces of duck stirfried in bean sprouts and the soup) are not really worth commenting on.

But yes, very good Peking duck.

YUM!

Leftover pieces of duck stirfried in bean sprouts

Duck soup

Complimentary fruit to finish the meal

Lantern Ghost Tours (Point Cook)

http://www.lanternghosttours.com/

The ghost tour was a bit of fun. I really enjoyed myself even though I found myself leaving the lights on in my room when I went to bed that night.

The ghost tour was led by a lady who looked the part. She claimed she was a clairvoyant. The whole experience was very interesting. It was nice listening about the various events that had taken place at Homestead Point Cook.

Restaurant Review: Lentil As Anything

Location: 41 Blessington Street, St Kilda
Phone: 03  9534 5833

Link: http://www.lentilasanything.com/restaurants.html

Cuisine: Vegetarian and Vegan

There is such a buzz about the place. Located in trendy St Kilda, Lentil As Anything has managed to maintain a humble presence. The concept is interesting.

"The pay as you feel philosophy is simple – we invite you to pay what you think the food and the experience is worth."

The food is hearty, the service is warm.

The kitchen area

Dhal and rice

Chai Latte