Dessert Story

Ellya Sam:

To be honest, I am not a big fan of Asian Desserts in general. I don't like the fact that they're always so soup-like, unsweetened and hot. Eurgh. That is why I've never felt the need to hit up this place immediately when it became such a hype almost a year ago. It was until a good friend of mine convinced me to give this place a shot and then I thought to myself, "Yeah, why not? Won't die lah right." Wow, was I a changed person after having one bite of their delicious dessert.

This place serves close to a million kinds of Taiwanese and Hong Kong desserts. LOL. Not literally, but you get what I mean. Pretty damn wide, their selection of desserts. Mostly, to my surprise, served chilled. YAY :)

Luckily, my friend was there to recommend me something good to eat. Saved me the time- trouble of  having to decide whether I wanted red bean or mango or sweet potato or grass jelly.. (so on......)  in my dessert.

I had their Herbal Jelly Signature Selection. Which consisted of peals, taro balls, herbal jelly and some random stuff I dont even know. Whatever it was, it all tasted pretty damn good. They even tasted good mixed together, which was probably Dessert Story's intention anyway. :P  $6.50 (if I remember correctly).

Now, despite my lack of 'craze' to Asian desserts, I do enjoy and indulge in the occasional Asian drinks. I think I actually might consider myself an avid bubble tea person. I have one like almost every week. See, I'm pretty picky with the texture of my pearls. I like mine chewy, but not to the extent of it being.. like rubbery. These ones I had at Dessert Story were near perfect. Even their taro balls were magnificently textured. Chewy with a bit of a sponge-like munch. Everything in that little black bowl that was served to me was just so good, as I type this, I am literally salivating with the intention of getting some more NOW. 

What a new outlook to Asian desserts for me. 

Also, the good thing about this place is that it's a pretty big franchise. You can find this place almost anywhere now in Melbourne. 

Me gusta. Can't wait to go back and try their Mango with Sago Pearls (also a recommended dish).

8.5/10

Dessert Story

195 Little Bourke St  Melbourne VIC 3000 (03) 9650 8887

Gold Leaf Restaurant

Ellya Sam:

I always enjoy a bit of a yumcha sesh every time my whole family is in town and Gold Leaf will always be my choice whenever I need my dimsum fix. The service here is pretty good and the prices are super affordable.

The best thing about Gold Leaf too, is that it is literally EVERYWHERE. I go to the one in Preston because it's closer to where I live. But they have branches in Burwood, Docklands, Sunshine and Springvale. Cray these people.

Also, be sure to book beforehand for their yum cha sessions as it can get pretty full during the weekends. Also, I totally suggest booking the first seating (10.30AM-12PM) instead of their second seating (12-2.30PM) because the transition after their first seating can get chaotic.

The one thing you MUST get when you come here is their egg tart. It is the best egg tart I've had in Melbourne. Possibly even better than the ones you can get in Kuala Lumpur. 

Smooth, almost jelly-like custard on top of a buttery, flakey pastry. My all- time favourite. :)

7/10 just cause I really like their egg tarts.

Gold Leaf Restaurant 417 High St  Preston VIC 3072 (03) 9470 2882

Rice Queen

Ellya Sam:

I needed dinner. As do most people. Rice Queen sounded pretty cool, so I decided to have a nice meal here on a relaxing Saturday night.

See, I pass Rice Queen everyday to and from Uni and every time I pass by that place, I feel drawn in because of the amount of people waiting outside. This is classic me assuming that the food here is good. When there are people clumping around something, there will be good food. Or cheap food. Whatever.

It being an Oriental Bar and all, I expected well.. more asians. To my surprise, there were none. And then there was me. LOL. But all good, no hate on who God create. I was just surprised that's all.

The atmosphere when you walk in is pretty chill. Lots of chinese, japanese and korean memorabilia on the inside, hanging on walls. Even the plants.. asian- like. Very true to the theme of the place. Pretty cool I might say. It also had a western feel to it. Mainly because, well, everyone inside were caucasians and there was a big bar on the side which is sooo what you won't find in Asia.

The food, was needless to say, pretty good. I wouldn't say it was authentic Asian cuisine, like the ones you'd find back home (for me), but still, pretty good for something you'd find in Melbourne.

We started with their Korean Fried Chicken. Crsipy chicken ribs which tasted like cayenne overdose (good thing). I liked how it wasn't oily. Also, the onion bits were delish. The mint sauce was unnecessary though. The ribs were nice just on it's own, but that's just me. Some people like their sauces.

Seven spice crispy chicken ribs tossed with onions and dried chillies. Served with mint sauce ($8 for 5 pieces, $15 for 10 pieces)

Slowly after, our mains arrived. We had their Pad Thai, and Salt and Pepper Chicken Salad which was on special. LOL totally almost wrote "which was on sale". HAHA. 

Their pad thai was tasty. Then again, you can never go wrong with pad thai. The noodles were a bit sticky, so hmm.. yeah. Their chicken salad tasted pretty alright too. Crispy chicken and some greens. Nothing can go wrong, really. Although the sauce kind of reminded me of Yee Sang which you can get in Malaysia. Weird. Reminded me of home for a second there.

Right: Pad thai noodles (chicken, vegan or vegetarian) with chicken, egg, peanuts, bean shoots and spring onions. ($17)

Left: Salt and peppered chicken on a bed of bean shoots, mint and coriander. Dressed with soy and sour sauce. ($16)

After having the mains, my friend and I decided to try their desserts. They were very well described on their menu and it was just way too tempting to deny. Needless to say, the steal of the night were the desserts. 

The pandan sago was delicious. Because of the coconut sorbet on top, some of the sago pearls were a bit frozen which made the texture of the sago just.. ah, it was a party in my mouth. It was also well-complimented with the gula melaka and crispy, toasted desiccated coconut. Definitely a MUST TRY. 

Pandan sago with coconut sorbet, drizzled treacle, crowned in lime syrup. ($9)

Probably named wrongly because the 'treacle' should really be called Gula Melaka in this context, and I didn't taste the lime syrup AND they forgot to mention it was sprinkled with toasted desiccated coconut. Urgh. 

We also had the coconut cheesecake which was very nice. You could actually taste the cheese in this one. Which I like. The texture was so smooth it was unbelievable. After passing through the smooth top, you hit the crumbly pastry below which is just heaven. Very nice dessert. Although if you're watching your weight, probably skip this one. The cheese in that is enough to clog everything.

Coconut- Lime Cheesecake with mango ($7.5)

Didn't taste like mango. Awks.

Despite the 'errors' in the desserts which ticked me a bit, I had a good time. Amazing atmosphere and good food. All in all, a very nice place. I would love to come back again.

7/10

Rice Queen

389 Brunswick St, Fitzroy.

VIC 3065
P: 9419 6624

No1 Delicious

Ellya Sam:

This place is very popular amongst the Asian community here in Melbourne. You need to try this place if you are love chinese cuisine. Very affordable and yummy. Having newly renovated, this place now looks cleaner and nicer.

The only downside is the service. But if you can overlook that, this place is a must try!

The one thing I MUST order when I come here is their spicy eggplant. I've never been a big fan of eggplant prior to my No1 Delicious experience. However, a friend brought me here one day and guaranteed my immediate love for eggplant after trying this exact dish. Boy was he right. Never looked back. I love eggplant now.

Fried spicy chilli eggplant

I had their stir fried- bok choy as well. The veggies were nice and fresh. Then again, I've never had a problem with veggies in Australia in general.

Stir- fried bok choy

Another thing I had was their sweet and sour pork. Deep fried pork cubes in sweet and sour sauce. Can I get a hellsyah. Very yummy dish. Reminded me of home. :)

Sweet and sour pork

8/10

No1 Delicious

83 Franklin St  Melbourne VIC 3000 P: (03) 9077 5188