Olinda Tea House, Olinda

It was a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon and just perfect for a lunch and walk date. We had to book the lunch at Olinda Tea House about a week in advance as many other people had the same idea. 

To be honest, I was surprised to find a mid-expensive price range Asian restaurant in the foothills of the Dandenong Mountains. But I must say that the combination of a functions venue (OTH also caters for weddings and other functions), beautiful grounds and nicely presented Asian food works well. There is a lunch menu of consisting of a main dish, steamed rice (which counts as a side), and a soup of $28.80. Otherwise, main dishes range cost around $23 - $33. 

We ordered the braised pork belly cubes with sweet soy sauce and signature lamb fillet with cumin, chilli and onions. The pork belly cubes were just delightful to look at. They were perfectly glazed with rich, sticky soy sauce. We could see the distinct and alternate layers of quivering fat and meat. So much collagen! I just wished we had some mantou buns to sop up the delicious rich sauce. This is quite possibly the best looking Tong Po Rou I've seen. 

The cumin lamb arrived on our table shortly after, again presented beautifully with a 'basket' of fried noodles. The fried noodles were too hard to sink our teeth into, even if it was just garnish... (it's still food!)

Thankfully the cumin in the lamb was not too overpowering. There were lots of chilli in the dish, just as the menu promised. Probably a tad too oily but delicious nevertheless.

After our meal, we took a walk around OTH's grounds. There were some outdoor pavilions, good for a group of 4 -6 people to drink tea and just chat. There were also 2 separate function rooms complete with mahjong tables for those who fancy a little social gambling before dinner/lunch. We also stopped by the two ponds on the premises to look at the lazy kois and goldfishes.

Overall we had a good experience dining and visiting the Olinda Tea House.

Bensons Mt Waverley

We had a delicious dinner at Bensons Mt Waverley recently. Tucked away from the main strip of restaurants, cafes and shops on Hamilton Place, Mt Waverley, this restaurant is located on The Highway in an office-cy area a short distance away. Because the offices are closed past 5:30pm, the only buzz of activity can be found at Bensons. 

On the day we tried this place out, the restaurant was full and very busy. There was a whole section dedicated to freshly made pasta and risotto dishes in the menu so I decided to try the seafood linguine. There was a good mix of seafood and meat mains in the menu as well. Gaz decided to go with the beef cheeks and potatoes. 

We also ordered an entree of calamari to share between us. The calamari was tender, and the batter was not too thick. We enjoyed dipping (and double dipping) the calamari pieces into the aioli. 

 

What we really enjoyed were the main dishes, especially the beef cheeks. Slow braised beef cheeks, so tender they melt in your mouth. The chunk of beef cheek was topped with thick red wine jus. Roasted potatoes which were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Brocollini was tender but still retained its fresh green colour.

I liked this dish very much and would easily order this again.


The other main we ordered was the seafood linguine. It came with generous serves of seafood pieces - 5 pieces of mussels, 2 scallops, 2 large prawns, a few pieces of calamari, some fish pieces and cherry tomatoes.

The linguine was freshly made and was very tasty. Although there were a lot on the plate, it didn't feel like a chore to eat as the linguine was light and well balanced ratio between seafood and starch.

The mains were $26 each and the entree $10. The pricing was simple, the food was good and there were lots of parking available around the restaurant.