Cilantro Kitchen, Bayswater

I have been getting back into Sudoku and puzzles and Rubik's cube recently so much so that Gary gave a book full of crossword puzzles and brain teasers for Christmas this year. I have been having so much fun with it. It really is true for me that presents don't need to be expensive, just thoughtful and practical. I once received a pair of comfy black socks and I loved it and wore it till it was worn out. 

Anyway, because I have been busy feeding the mind and not the tummy, we have been going out for meals more often than we should.

We visited Cilantro Thai in Bayswater for lunch recently. This restaurant is a few doors from Thai Tables. Thai Tables' fame for tasty and cheap Thai food reaches across the eastern suburbs so I think it faces quite a bit of competition!

We ordered the chicken Pad Thai $15 and 72 hours caramelised pork hock $19. 

The Pad Thai was flavourful, not too sweet and didn't seem too oily but the noodles were a bit undercooked. I really liked how the chef removed the beansprout head and tail so that it doesn't become too unruly to eat. Not many other restaurants does it in Australia but almost all in Asian countries do. The amount of meat to noodles is also synonymous with how it is done in Asian countries, not too much meat that is, because it is a fried noodle dish and not fried chicken!

Next was the caramelised pork hock. It was braised and deep fried. The skin was crispy, and the meat was tender. There are 4 pieces per serving, that is good so that we don't over indulge! 

The place looked clean and tidy and we had a lovely time listening to classical music while enjoying the food. The owner is a very cheery looking man who served us attentively even though he was busy. It is a nice restaurant for a relaxed dining experience.

Mr Lee's Foods, Ringwood East

My favourite routine these days is watching mukbang videos on YouTube and doing a little bit of light exercises in front of the television. My favourites are Tzuyang, Sanghyuk, G-NI and a Japanese lady whose videos dates back to 2 or 3 years ago when they're English subbed.

I love how they go around eating delicious food, or even better, completing times food challenges. It is amazing how much they can fit into their bodies without gaining any weight. Sanghyuk especially look almost gaunt in the face but how he eats more than the average person without sacrificing his ripped body is beyond my understanding!

But anyway, what has that got to do with today's post? All those mukbang videos made me crave for some home style Korean good, which was exactly what I got at Mr Lee's. 

This is a small family run restaurant and that can be seen straight up at the door. There is only one lady serving and most of the time she is juggling between checking people's vax certs, taking phone orders, serving and helping in the kitchen. 

We wanted to order the jokbal but the table before us got the last one so we made do with steamed pork belly and the pork soup.

The guk bap is pork bone soup cooked so long it is milky, with pork belly slice and pork organ meat. It comes with rice and kimchi radish and green peppers. 

The pork belly slices are simply steamed, served with doenjang, chives and garlic. I would have liked some lettuce leaves to make a ssam but wrapping the pork belly slice with green pepper, garlic then dipped in doejang works for me too. 

We paid $45 for the meal including an extra serve of bap. The taste of the dishes were clean and healthy, like what a good mom makes for their kids. No msg, just lots of old fashioned love.. I could taste it in the dishes. 

I wish the restaurant was a little bigger so I didn't have to worry about social distancing but then that would ruin the atmosphere and everything this restaurant stands for. The owners are also very strict about checking in and vax certs so there is less to worry about. Oh yes, this restaurant also does soondae which is blood sausage which we tried in Korea but didn't like so we didn't order it this time round.

I think this place would be perfect in the winter when one is craving for some hearty bone broth and some.

Yakimono, Collins St CBD

Yakimono is one of the new restaurants in town that had opened during Covid19. It is run by the same group that manages Chin Chin, Society and Kisume so I had high expectations of this place. I have tried Chin Chin and the food was bold and fantastic. 

Yakimono is touted to be a Japanese grill / skewer bar but it also offers plenty else on the menu like handrolls, rice and noodles.

Bookings fly fast in this place and we just got in by the seat of our pants for a Sunday lunch session at the bar. Our wait person reaffirmed that they received 500 bookings every day since opening. Not bad for Covid19 times!

We ordered the tuna with fermented chilli sauce. Gaz described it as Sirena tuna in chilli can, but with raw tuna. I thought it was a spot on description.

Next was chicken tsukune with raw egg yolk sauce. I was told that the chicken mince is steamed before grilled but it looked pink to me so I donated my half to Gaz who happily devoured it. The glaze was sweet and savoury and tasted good, though. 

So for a Japanese skewer bar restaurant, I can't say it wowed me with it's skewers. Perhaps we should have ordered the king prawns skewer instead which would not be difficult to cook through but at $35 per serving, it would be difficult to swallow. 

The brocollini with macadamia nut dressing. This was delicious! The brocollini was grilled raw but served slightly charred and tender. I love the macadamia nuts and the savoury creamy dressing.

We had it with spanner crab egg rice. This is another MVP dish of our order. Certainly lots of spanner crab meat and prawn bits to be found but don't expect chinese style fried egg rice with fluffy individual grains of rice, because I suppose that's not what it is. The rice is slightly clumpy and wet but I don't mind it.

Udon with eel. I think the udon is house made, and is the soft, glutinous type. The eel is fresh (not the packaged type) and the first bite of the dish was pleasing because there is some kind of panko or crunchy bits scattered on the udon to give that different texture to the dish. 

There were only a couple of dishes we really liked and I think the price is steep. The service was really prompt and attentive even though the staff were busy. So while it was a good experience trying out the new restaurant so perhaps it would be a long while before we hurry back.