Gaz went out for a simple dinner with me but came home with a lighter than expected wallet tonight. What had happened was a typical scenario when the guy asks the girl what she would like to eat. The girl says, 'Whatever you like', only what it really means is 'Whatever strikes her fancy within the next 5 seconds'.
BBQ Code on Springvale Road, Glen Waverley is a new Korean restaurant in the area (which was why it caught my eye). Initially we went into the restaurant with the intention of ordering the usual Korean main dishes such as soondobu, and bulgogi with rice but found their main dish menu to be quite limited at the time. Instead, we ordered their pork BBQ set.
The set came with four types of marinated pork belly, most of which were indistinct from one another, and an unmarinated serve of pork belly for grilling. There were also side dishes, salad and a stew.
The restaurant's plus point is that it was fairly well ventilated so we did not smell too much after the BBQ session, and the staff was very attentive which meant that they helped us cook the meat rather than leaving us to overcook or undercook our food. Interestingly, all the staff on the floor that night were young Korean men.
We enjoyed our dining experience in this restaurant but the marinated pork belly each needs to have more distinct, punchy flavours. The taste of most of them were mild, and indistinguishable from one marinade to another.
What I liked was the balanced amount of meat and vegetables on the table. Unlike other barbeques where the ratio of the meat usually far outweighs the vegetable, Korean barbeque provides vegetable side dishes, vegetable for bbq and salad. Traditionally, lettuce would also be provided on the table for wrapping the cooked meat (not provided here).
Overall, BBQ Code provides a new Korean BBQ choice in the Glen Waverley restaurant scene.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Piggery Cafe, Sherbrooke
The Piggery Cafe is the latest venture by Vue de Monde's Shannon
Bennett. It is part of a grand plan to convert the large 22 ha site into
a luxury hotel, spa, restaurants, and private accomodation.
There is also an existing dwelling attached to the site called 'Burnham Beeches' which was first designed and built for Sir Alfred Nicholas, owner of Aspro brand. When we visit the Alfred Nichols garden, we can see the building from the gardens. It is run down, but the art deco lines are still beautiful and evokes memories of a time long gone. It is also part of the plan to restore the mansion.
The cafe is located in a renovated old shed. It now resembles a canteen with communal tables and benches, uncovered concrete floor, exposed beams. In short, a very rustic and minimalist furnishing which blends with the surrounding area.
There is a lawn outside the cafe where customers can play boulles, a giant chess set, and other games. There is also a pig pen, but unfortunately the star has decided not to grace us with its presence when we visited..
We ordered the pork belly burger and wagyu beef burger with fries. Unfortunately on this ocassion, what stood out for me was the chipped plates and plastic cups which has seen more scratches than a scratchy ticket. I understand the concept of rustic furnishings but how does it translate to hygiene when it extends to plates and cups?
There is also an existing dwelling attached to the site called 'Burnham Beeches' which was first designed and built for Sir Alfred Nicholas, owner of Aspro brand. When we visit the Alfred Nichols garden, we can see the building from the gardens. It is run down, but the art deco lines are still beautiful and evokes memories of a time long gone. It is also part of the plan to restore the mansion.
The cafe is located in a renovated old shed. It now resembles a canteen with communal tables and benches, uncovered concrete floor, exposed beams. In short, a very rustic and minimalist furnishing which blends with the surrounding area.
There is a lawn outside the cafe where customers can play boulles, a giant chess set, and other games. There is also a pig pen, but unfortunately the star has decided not to grace us with its presence when we visited..
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| Pork belly bun with salad |
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| Wagyu beef with fries |
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| What is the deal with chipped plates! |
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| And scratched plastic cups? |
Friday, November 6, 2015
Satu Produk Durian - Midcity Arcade, CBD
This cafe confused me a little. The name suggests Malaysian or Indonesian origins but this is a franchise from Macau? I didn't think Macau was famous for durians..
The cafe serves mainly durian or mango desserts. We ordered one of each just to be safe. The verdict? Durian mille crepe wins hands down for me! After eating the mille crepe, the mango pancake was tasteless to me.
Portions are small for the price paid but I am happy with the amount of durian in the mille crepe. When I burped later in the evening, I could smell durian and relive the experience!
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Shandong Mama - Midcity Arcade, CBD
I have heard so much about Shandong Mama that I just had to try it out. Last weekend, I invited a girlfriend for lunch at the restaurant.
We ordered the famed mackerel dumplings and Daryl noodles.
If it was not described in the menu, I would not have guessed they were mackerel. I guess I expected more mackerel and less flour in the filling. It was a bit salty as well. On the other hand, the filling is original and not fishy.
Daryl noodles is a dish of wheat noodles with a sauce of potato cubes, little prawns, and veges. It was a tad salty, and not as special as the dumplings.
There are some unique dumpling fillings being served in the restaurant like salmon, lamb, and tofu. It is definitely good for a change from the usual pork and prawn dumplings.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Paco's Tacos - Eastland Ringwood
We visited Paco's Tacos on it's opening night last week. Even though Eastland was busy as, and throngs of people were roaming around looking for food, Paco's Tacos looked unfazed. In fact, they coped quite well in the face of the crowd.
Except for running out of some dishes and some staff not knowing the food they are serving, everything else seemed to run smoothly.
We ordered chicken enchilada, which paled in comparison to some of the awesome tacos we had.
We ordered three types of tacos (at Paco's Tacos these are soft corn tortillas) - Crumbed blue grenadier, calamari and beef.
The fish and beef tacos were amazing. Strong flavours, good texture, and oh so tasty. But the calamari did not match up. There were not many calamari in the taco and it felt like I was eating salad rather than calamari taco.
One thing about the tortilla skins, they are not soft. I am not sure why but I prefer softer tortilla skins.
At $6.50 a pop, they are quite reasonably priced, although I will need more than 2 to fill me up.
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