Mamasita

Ellya Sam:

After what seems to have been ages, I decided to go to Mamasita for a good wind down on a Sunday night. I brought a friend with me this time because you cannot go to a place like Mamasita and keep it to yourself. This place is highly acclaimed by many food bloggers; with really good reviews, and I cannot agree more. I love this place! I was not disappointed at all. It definitely lives up to the hype! (IMO).

This place is located very conveniently next to a 7 eleven (incase you need to cash out. We'll get to that later). You won't miss it! You also won't miss it because there is always a line of hungry humans waiting outside of the restaurant. Sometimes, even in the cold. Dedication to good food, I say! 

If you decide to come here early (and you've never been here) and there is nobody outside, then yeah.. you'd probably be lost looking for this place. The entrance is literally a glass front door and a single flight of stairs leading to a small space upstairs on level 1. The sign is minute. Don't say I didn't tell you. ;)

As you walk upstairs, your eyes have to adjust because of the dim lighting (I notice this is becoming a trend for hip, and upcoming restaurants). Im guessing because it's so hard to plate mexican food, you need the dark ambience to heighten your taste buds? I'm not sure. Don't hold me to that. Also, the music here is pretty awesome. Gotta love me a bit of jazz. The place is also VERY small. The very few seats really do explain why there are so little vacancies during peak dinner time (hence the long lines on the outside ALL THE TIME). I was lucky I came here on a Sunday though. Such a smart idea coming with just one friend as well, instead of a whole bunch because we were accommodated immediately.

In saying that, the place was no doubt, emptier than it's usual, but still, nonetheless busy as ever. So busy, they mucked up our orders and we got extras from the kitchen to eat. YAY for us ;) The food is so good, I was glad enough to eat extras free of charge. In fact I was hoping they'd muck up more just so we'd get more free food HAH.

I don't go to Mexican places very often, but I can say from the glance of the menu, it looks pretty authentic. The headings of the food are in spanish with english descriptions, to help us non- espanols. They also have a very wide selection of  drinks served here with very tempting cocktails. And their bar is pretty big for such a small space. It's decorated with all those lovely liquor bottles and fancy smancy bartenders. ;)  

Now, just a warning, this place is pretty expensive. Hence the whole 7 elevel cash out thing I mentioned earlier. But then again, I expected it. The food was worth the money I say.

ANYWAY, to the food!

 Elotes callejeros (v) $5.40 each  

“Street Style” chargrilled corn, queso, chipotle mayo & lime.

Holy crap. The much raved little corn on a cobs these babies are. They are so simply made but they tasted so heavenly! I myself tried to recreate this back home and I couldn't get the tastes going right! Everything about this was so well balanced! Recommended fo sho. Would definitely get this when I go to Mamasita again.

Left: Mamasita Margarita $17 

El Jimador reposado, Cointreau, agave, fresh lime, salt rim, on the rocks.

Right: Tequito Granita $18 

Tromba blanco, sugar, mint, lime.

The drinks were magnificent! The margarita was so nice and alcoholic. :P The taste I mean. And the mint granita was so good as well! Loved how they slushied it up. Also, both recommended. 

Tostaditas (2.5 inch fried tortilla with toppings: 4 tostaditas per board) 

de Pollo $15.40 

Chargrilled chicken, avocado, chipotle mayo & queso fresco

Yummy bite sized tortillas. I loved how they were small enough to put to the whole thing in your mouth without making a mess. I wish they were served in larger portions as it only came in 4s! So good!! :) Loved how the tortillas were so crispy and crunchy that it contrasted the chicken and avocado, being so tender and soft. And the mayo complimented and finished the whole thing, adding a bit of a zing! The price is pretty steep though. But still, I will overlook that. It was very yummy!

Quesadillas (9 inch tortillas with filling)

 de Huitlacoche (v) $15.40

Huitlacoche, queso criollo, mushrooms, corn, epazote, pico de gallo & queso fresco

Piping hot, this thing arrived. And it was lovely! You could taste the fruitiness of the mushrooms which was the highlight for me of the dish. It was married in harmony with the cheese, salsa fresca and huitlacoche (which is a mushroom that grows on corn). Also the tortillas were a mix of a soft and crispy texture. The middle bits being soft and the edges being crunchy. Once again, another recommended dish!

$6.60 each

Left: de chocolate choc chilli icecream, 

sesame seed praline

Right: de maracuya (vgn) passionfruit sorbet, 

coconut

One of the ice creams were the ones that came mucked up. So glad we got to try both instead of just the one we ordered! Wow were these two ice creams amazing. I've never really tried chocolate and chilli and the hit of it has just electrified me! I love it! I can't explain the million different sensations that happened on my tongue as I ate the chillichoc  ice cream. :) The other ice cream was also another steal. You cannot go wrong with a good passionfruit sorbet. It was so lovely and zesty. And it came topped with fried coconut flesh bits. Very satisfying! I could have sat here all night eating this.

Pastel de chocolate $12.10 

Flourless chocolate cake, tequila white chocolate sauce & PX jelly

This however, was the winner of all the desserts though. The cake was so moist and decadent, and the richness of the chocolate was perfect for it's portion! The white chocolate sauce had no trace of an alcoholic taste contrary to what it suggests in the menu, but it was still good! And the PX jelly was divine! It tasted like coffee? Or raisins? Im not too sure, but when I asked the waitress what it was she said it was infused with Pedro Ximenez which is a sweet ad dark fortified sherry. Very tasty! 

Definitely happy with my visit to Mamasita. Will LOVE to come back for more (when I get my next paycheck)! :P

9.25/10

Mamasita

Level 1, 11 Collins Street, CBD

Melbourne.

Captain Melville

Ellya Sam:

You would not believe the amount of times I have passed this place before actually giving in to having a meal at this place. First of all, it is located on the very quiet Franklin Street. Not the most common street you'd walk on when you're in the city. Second of all, the benches outside are always empty, suggesting that the place probably isn't too good.

Anyway, I decided to give this place a shot and was pretty happy I came in. As you walk in, you are welcomed by a nice bar. Then, as you walk further in, you reach naturally lit, communal style setting that are filled with large tables and benches. Good for large groups. Very beautiful. 

It is tastefully decorated with plants and wood and glass. Very, modern- contemporary like feel. The kitchen is also open, which is always a good thing. Dont want nobody to be messing with your food.

Although slightly on the pricey side, the food was needless to say, pretty good. I didn't expect much in the first place anyway. I had two sliders, of which one was the soft shell crab and the other was the crispy pork crackle. (By the way if you are interested in making crispy pork crackle, here is my recipe.) I had a bit of a nibble of the fish and chips and the pork and veal sausages as well.

The buns of my sliders were very well toasted. I hate how sometimes you get wrinkled buns, but these were nice and plump. Plus points, Captain Melville. The crispiness of the soft shell crab and the pork really complimented the sliders. Soft bun, crispy middle, crunchy veggies and a creamy mayo. Nice. Worth trying. Too bad they were sliders. Would have wanted to have a bigger portion of those bad boys.

The fish and chips were mediocre. Nothing special about it, really. Except maybe the chips. Then again, I'm a sucker for chips. 

The sausages were tasty, however slightly on the dry side. Not a big fan.

Soft shell crab slider with wasabi mayo, shiso and pickled daikon. $6.50

Right to left up: Latte, Crackled pork belly with cos lettuce on warm buns $6.50.

Right to left down: Fish and chips $24, Pork and veal sausage with spinach and feta and tomato and fennel sauce $21.

--

After having my brunch here the first time I walked in, a few weeks later I found myself here again, but this time for late night drinks with my friends. The bar area is a lot different to the back open area. It is a lot darker and instead of it being decorated with plants, it is decorated with fun, witty phrases that are painted on the walls. I sooo did not notice them the first time I came here. Anyway, they served standard drinks; cocktails, on tap and bottles. Good atmosphere and music.

--

I am back here again for a friend's birthday dinner a week ago. (Like I said, the Capt. can accomodate huge groups). I had their Captain's Burger.

Sher- Wagu, bacon, cheese, Yarra- Valley egg, pickles on a soft brioche bun with their hand cut chips.

I really enjoyed this. The bun was so tasty! And all their condiments went well with each other. Im also happy with the burger as it didnt 'leak'. LOL HATE oily, leaking burgers. Yum!

6.5/10

Captain Melville

34 Franklin St  Melbourne VIC 3000 P: (03) 9663 6855

Sherlock Holmes Bar

Ellya Sam:

Need a place to chill after a long week? This is the place to go. A friend introduced this nice bar to me at the beginning of this year and since then, I seem to come back almost every other Friday.

The interesting thing about this place isn't the drinks because well, a bar is a bar is a bar. They serve pretty much the same stuff anyway. It is the atmosphere when you walk down the wooden flight of stairs. Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, you are greeted warmly with Sherlock memorabilia which makes your experience in there totally magical. 

Grab a bunch of good friends to go there with you and you have an amazing night right in front of you.

I heard Sherlock also serves dinner but I have yet to try their food!

9/10

Just because I like Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes Bar

415 Collins St  Melbourne VIC 3000

P: (03) 9629 1146

7 Seeds

Ellya Sam:

Decided to try this very popular place for brunch this weekend and found myself quite satisfied after having their pancakes. They were beautifully plated too!

A bunch of friends of mine have been raving over this place for the past year and I myself couldn't believe I haven't found the time to try this place out!

Set in a very secluded street, I found this place very difficult to find. Goes to show, when in doubt, just trust google maps. It'll get you there. Anyway, as I reached the front, I expected a long line of hungry customers, however to my surprise, I was seated immediately without any wait. YAY. The place looked really hip. Kind of like how most popular Melbourne brunch spots look like. Plants here and there. Wood. The smell of coffee. Cool waiters and waitresses. Knick knacks of random stuff hanging around. Warehouse- like feel. Standard. Cause really, you've seen one, you've seen all. The food excluded of course.

 Pancake stack w baked peaches, citrus labne, vanilla bean 

honey, & pistachio praline ($15)

So, that was what I had. Like I mentioned before, beautifully plated. The pancakes were buttery and milky. Almost like a cake like consistency. Just how I like my pancakes. The poached peaches did not look or taste like peaches so Im guessing they ran out of peaches and used pear. Which is totally fine. I liked it. Although it could have been a little bit MORE poached. It was kind of crunchy still. MEH. 

The  white thing you see in that picture there was not mentioned on the menu but Im guessing it's a yoghurt? Whatever it was, it was amazing. Sort of a sour like taste with a tinge of citrus. Very complimentary.

Other than the food, the coffee was divine (I think. LOL all coffee is amazing to me)! I mean, I'm a coffee drinker but I'm no expert, really. I just drink coffee. I had their Colombia Roman Trujillo, which weird enough as it sounds, tasted.. well, significantly different from all the other coffees I've had in Melbourne. Pretty damn awesome I say. The milk was nice and creamy too. Which is a plus. 

So, worth the hype? Hmm.. maybe not as much as people say. Then again, what would I know. HEH HEH. 

--

Came back here again to try their new menu a week after my first visit here. Err... MEH. First of all, totally my bad for not being aware they change their menu quite often. Totally wanted their pancakes again. :(

I had their corn, pomegranate, feta and rocket salad. $14 Tasted alright. I mean, it wasn't the best. There was so much crunchy going on, I got confused with the taste of everything. And the sudden kick of the pomegranate just made my tongue curl with shock. Urgh. Not happy.

I brought a good friend along with me this time and she had the kangaroo with beetroot (LOL pretty sure it was beetroot, cant remember). But whatever, it was bad. I had a sneaky taste of her kangaroo dish and it was chewy! WHAAAT. Seven Seeds.. HOW, WHAAAAT? Total disappointment. Do not make the mistake of getting the kangaroo, please. 

She also had a hot chocolate which came out looking crazy good. But it tasted bland and just.. ugh, you'd know it's a bad hot choc. Not the best day for her at Seven Seeds. Kangaroo and and hot chocolate fail. Not coming back here any time soon. :\

4.5/10

Seven Seeds

106 - 114 Berkeley St, Carlton. CBD

VIC 3053

P: (03) 9347 8664

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

The Quarter

Before seeing the lovely work "Conversation Piece" by Lucy Guerin, we stopped by The Quarter on Degraves St. for a quick feed.  

We had the Farmer Joe Baguette which consisted of, "Honey Roasted pumpkin, caramelised onion, roasted peppers, basil pesto, ricotta cheese and balsamic reduction". It was delicious but nothing spesh really, and considering it was $15.50 for a sandwich...lame. 

Not too big of a fan... but if you're on Degraves St. it maybe worth a quick visit, or not.

Our thoughts: 4/10

The Quarter

27 – 31 Degraves St Melbourne 3000
P: 03 9650 6156