Wilson's Promontory

Wilson's Promontory National Park or Wilson's Prom as it is fondly called, is the southern most tip of Victoria. The most accessible parts of the national park are along the east while to access the west part of the national park, one will need to walk a day and stay overnight there. One of the more popular walks is to the lighthouse, where you can stay overnight at the lighthouse and walk back the next day. I heard that the views are spectacular. But so are the views from the east side of the park. 

We walked up to the summit of Mount Oberon and were rewarded with these views of the Bass Strait. In total it was about a 3 hour return journey for medium fitness walkers like us. The incline was steep and relentless. The last leg of the journey involves climbing flights of stairs against a mountain face in very windy conditions. I was terrified. But look at the views from the summit: 

There are many walks to choose from, ranging from easy to very difficult overnight walks. The Wildlife Walk was one of the easiest ones. It is just a meander through flatlands, bushes and trees. The only mildly strenuous bit is avoiding the kangaroo droppings along the way. There are no prescribed path on this walk, one is free to walk wherever you can see wildlife.

We saw many kangaroos on the walk but no other wildlife even though we really wanted to see wombats.

This is Squeaky Beach - yes the sand is so fine that it squeaks if you rub it! But the scenery is amazing too, lots of interesting rock formations with colours of the sunset.

This is one of the most surprising walks we've been on, mainly because it was not planned but short (about 1.8km) and we were rewarded by beautiful views of the bay on both sides. There is Norman Bay on the left and Leonard Bay on the right.

There is so much to do in Wilsons Prom - swimming, enjoying the beach, camping, walking, photography, wildlife observing, the list goes on. We enjoyed our trip very much and all the locals were so friendly.

Burma Lane, Melbourne CBD

If you want a great lunch and pay only half the price, then go to Burma Lane in the CBD. Burma Lane is a sister restaurant to Red Spice Road, so if you enjoy the food at RSR, you will like Burma Lane too. It serves modern fusion Cambodian cuisine and have the same bold, intense flavours as RSR. It also has a version of the famous pork belly on its menu. On Mondays, it has a Feed Me set menu on half price (limited to 4 people only, normally $39 pp). 

The Feed Me menu changes regularly so you don't have to worry about eating the same thing because you've gone twice in two weeks like I did, because I enjoyed the food so much. The Feed Me menu provides for 2 small dishes, and 3 mains.

Dumplings, can't go wrong with dumplings! The second time I visited, it was shan tofu which I found a little bland, unlike the dumplings. 

Smoked chicken wings. Deep fried then covered in smoky spicy dressing. It was sticky, sweet, smoky and spicy.

Deep fried barramundi pieces, sweet potato in a spicy honey soy sauce. It was a little bit fishy, but not bad. On the second time I was there, they served braised beef cheeks which was just marvellous!! The meat was tender and melted in the mouth. It was braised in the same kind of sauce (notice how most of the sauces on the menu seem a little similar in colour and flavour..?) but was so good.

Papaya salad - my friend enjoyed this immensely as she loves papaya salad. It was crunchy and refreshing. The second time I visited there was wok tossed greens which included green beans, which I enjoyed more.

Pork Belly - 1 cube per person. Similar to RSR, it was sticky and melted in the mouth, and is a constant on the menu.

The dish that I most enjoyed in Burma Lane was the braised beef cheeks, surpassing the pork belly which can be a little stringy at times. I also enjoyed the wok tossed greens which had the breath of wok in the dish. The portions are generous, and no need for rice to fill the tummy up. So if you were ordering from the ala carte menu, don't go past the braised beef cheeks!

Skybar, Glen Waverley

Skybar is a rooftop bar and restaurant in Glen Waverley. This place is on level 8 of the building which gives it an expansive view over the Glen Waverley and surrounding area. Being a rooftop bar, I was afraid that it would be cold and windy because it was a particularly windy night when we visited this restaurant, but the outdoor dining area was well covered with clear plastic tarp which made it windproof. 

We went as part of a Groupon offer which offered good value otherwise it can be a little pricy. I guess part of the price goes towards paying for the view too. 

For entree, there was a mix of 4 items - chicken karaage, deep fried calamari, arancini balls and watermelon salad. The watermelon salad was refreshing after all the deep fried items on the plate. It was a good balance. 

This is the main I chose - pan fried salmon with beurre blanc sauce and sweet potatoes. The fish was well cooked, but the beurre blanc and fatty salmon was quite rich but a squeeze of lemon soon set it right.

Gaz chose the steak and potato chips. That's typical isn't it, fish for the ladies and meat for the gents.. we get half of each other's plates though so I didn't need to miss out on the steak.

Lastly, green tea panacotta which was so yummy that we practically scraped the bottom of the glass over and over again to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. Delicious!

We found the food to be on the oily side, and I think there is some refinement to be made overall. Service wise, the waitpersons were courteous, almost with an air of fine dining in the way the dishes were presented and explained which was welcomed. This is a nice place for a special occasion that demands a view or for the international visitor.

Uchiwa, Vermont

Uchiwa is a new neighbourhood restaurant serving Japanese food. Don't expect authentic Japanese food here, but the flavours are good. I saw some reviews on the net questioning why jasmine rice is used when short grain rice is usually used in Japanese cuisine. I didn't mind it at all, because the price is very reasonable for the flavours and portions served.

We ordered the fried oysters ($7). There are 3 pieces and they are fried perfectly. I love deep fried anything but deep fried oysters are especially delicious because of the crispy outside and buttery soft insides.

Teriyaki beef bento ($13) which comes with salad and three pieces of sushi. There were lots of beef slices, and they were good quality slices, not the ones with more fat than meat. Or gristly meat. There was even some 'wok hei' or in this case should I say 'breath of the teppan' instead of 'breath of the wok' in this dish. And this is why I have no complains over what type of rice is used.

I ordered the katsu don ($11) which came with egg and onions and a chicken (or pork) cutlet on top of rice. The deep fried chicken cutlet was moist (I've had the pork cutlet as well, it can be a bit dry) and well fried. The dish was seasoned well, again no complains over what type of rice it was as I would be happy to eat the whole bowl, Jasmine or short grain rice!

This is a small place located in the Vermont South shopping complex. Many of their orders are from takeaway or Uber Eats but there is a comfy enough seated dining area for their eat in diners. The waitpersons are polite and they even offer free tea at dinnertime.

ONDA, Richmond

ONDA is one of the best restaurants I have been to recently. We stumbled upon this place and was glad that we found such an amazing place. ONDA serves Latin American food. The flavours are vibrant, new to me, and bold. 

We ordered the black prawn dogs with salsa picante ($14) as a snack. I think this is a similar concept to the American corn dogs, only with prawns and charcoal. The prawns were crispy and goes well with the green chilli salsa which is not as spicy as it sounds. 

For entree, we ordered the house cured ocean trout ceviche with blood orange, toasted hemp seeds, puffed rice and amarillo mole ($16.50). It was served on house made crisps. Isn't the colour and presentation just so beautiful? Amarillo means amber and I take it to be orange chilli mixed with mayo. The combination of the trout, refreshing blood orange and amarillo mole was so delicious. It was not easy to get everything on a chip but it was well worth the fiddly factor when it does.

 
For mains we ordered the swordfish with carrot polenta, roasted heirloom carrots, tomatillo salad and puffed buckwheat ($29). I love how the chef has thought about the texture and always incorporates something crispy into each dish. I loved the puffed buckwheat crispiness in this dish. The swordfish was cooked really well, juicy even though swordfish is a meaty and can be dry if overcooked.

Gaz ordered the grilled wagyu striploin with monfongo, chimichurri, beef fat croutons, beetroot puree, pickled beetroots and beef jugo ($29). Wow, so many things happening on this plate! Monfongo is deep fried plaintain mashed together with other ingredients e.g. pork or seafood. You can see it underneath the wagyu, a thick big slab. It tasted a bit like yam, and was very filling. The beef fat croutons was very nice, again a crunchy element on the plate. And now I know why it tasted delicious, because of the beef fat!

And now, for dessert ONDA presents to you black sesame and chocolate cigars filled with dulce de leche and banana mousse, puffed buckwheat and aromats ($15). The cigars are presented in a sealed cigar box, layered with smoked coffee beans so that when the diner opens the box, the smell of the coffee beans creates an unforgettable experience. The cigars themselves were crispy, decadent and delicious. I don't normally like bananas but I didn't mind it with the chocolate and dulce de leche.

We loved our dining experience and the new exciting flavours at ONDA. I think the snacks and small plates are a good way to sample what the restaurant has to offer. The mains may cost more but they are filling and are of good quality, and definitely don't skip the cigars for dessert. I just hope I haven't spoiled the surprise for you!