Spotted Mallard

Ellya Sam:

My two amazing cousins were the first to introduce me to this amazing place. After having their first meal here, they immediately knew I would love this place. AND THEY WERE RIGHT. 

This place looks very interesting. Very different from a lot of bars and eat places here in Melbourne. As you come in from their double wide doors (which look like olden day cinema doors), you need to walk up a wide staircase to a very dim- lit lounge. I wanna say the place very much reminded me of a... classic secret club meeting place? 18th Century Gentlemen's bar? English pub? Old ballroom? I don't know. I can't decide. But I do love it! Very hipster, indeed. Bringing back the old, ayyyy. The place looks very worn. I'm hoping intentional. HAHA. In one corner, a big, long bar with awesome looking baristas await you for your order from their selection of drinks. Opposite the bar, there is a stage. OMG, to my excitement when I found out there was going to be live music. And not just any live music.. JAZZ LIVE MUSIC. 

This place hosts gigs for unknown jazz and indie bands. Just my kind of place.

Live music. Jazzy, raggy, double- bass-y. YUMMMMM. They were so good!

And there is also a mini dance floor for people to get up and boogie. :D So many people were dancing around, I felt like I was in a modern day "flapper party". Probably worst description ever, but you get what I mean. ;)

The only downside to this place was that they were WAY understaffed. It took us a while to figure out how to get seated. (Do we wait, do we just grab a seat?) We waited for a while and nobody hosted us. So, we roamed a bit to find a table, WHICH WAS SO DIFFICULT. The place was so big so we ended up walking a while, dodging people and tables. In the end we found a communal table with a lovely couple who were more than happy to have us in their proximity. They enjoyed our company, I'm sure.. I hope. 

It took us another 15 mins to wait for a waiter to come by, so we went to the bar to give our food and drink orders. 

The food came close to 40 minutes after. I'm probably over- exaggerating, but when you're hungry, 20 minutes can seem like 40. Well whatever the case, the place was busy, but still.. 40 mins? On the bright side, at least that gave us time to give the band the full attention they deserved. 

Alas, the food!

Beef Cheek Rueben

Sweet slow cooked beef cheek on toasted panini with horseradish, mayo, pickles, red cabbage sauerkraut and masala jus. Served with fatties and house slaw.

$19$19

I'm guessing the dude who made this is called Rueben? LOL. Whatever it is, Rueben you genius! You king! This dish was so good! The beef cheeks were so tender and soft. It literally melted in my mouth as I devoured this bad baby. The panini was well- soaked by the jus and the excess yumminess of the beef. The horseradish, mayo, sauerkraut and pickles were amazing compliments of the beef and panini. It tasted so good with and on it's own, but didnt overpower the taste of the beef at all! I found myself using the remaining bread to squeaky clean my plate. The slaw was also to-die-for. It was creamy and well- pickled. And the chips.. OH the chips. Fat, crispy with a creamy center. Need I say more? So worth the wait. I was hungry and then wholly satisfied within that same hour.

8.5/10 

for excellent food, ambience and freaking awesome live music! Minus points for their hospitality.

Thanks Zho and Uwen for introducing this place to me and bringing me here! Definitely will come back.

Spotted Mallard

314 Sydney Rd  Brunswick VIC 3056 (03) 9380 8818

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.

Naked For Satan

Ellya Sam:

Can I get a hells yaaah. $1 pintxos? If you're not THAT hungry, but nonetheless need to be fed, this place is super affordable for a small- appetite lunch or dinner. A HUGE selection of drinks to choose from and $1 pintxos are the way to go.

Basically a pintxos are related to tapas but are 'skewed' with a toothpick.

As you come into NfS, you feel kind of lost cause all you see is a bar and plates and plates of different pintxos ready to be picked at. Don't worry. You come in, get a plate and start putting the small little bread topped goodies on your plate. Get seated. Then start nomming. At the end of your meal, just gather your toothpicks from your pintxos and pay at the cashier. See, I've just saved you the embarrassment of asking how their system works.

I, unfortunately went through that awkward "Err.. so.. uhm.. how do I order?". :P

The downside to this place is that eventhough it is so cheap, you could probably make this in your own home for cheaper. But lazyness sometimes does kick in. It happens to the best of us, dont deny it. ;) 

The upside, is that this place can host huge groups. And, the drinks selection is pretty fantabulous. Also, their cocktails are yum. Try their Fallen Angel. :) I liked. 

4/10

Naked For Satan

285 Brunswick St  Fitzroy VIC 3065 (03) 9416 2238

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

Little Creatures Dining Hall

After a long Friday, and finishing with choreography, we decided to go to Little Creatures Dining Hall for some de-stressing and also a little bit of a catch up sesh.

It's a pretty neat place. It looks a lot like a warehouse on the inside, which is pretty cool. It is however, a bit dark so if you're old and need reading glasses, and struggle reading in the daylight... DON'T come here. Otherwise, it's hip-and-happening, yo. Place to be on a Friday or Saturday night.

The drinks here are what you'd expect of Little Creatures. They brew their own stuff, so that's always interesting. 

We had the Pipsqueak Apple ciders to start off with.

Very yummy. A must try. 

Our dishes came really quick. We had the hand- cut fries with garlic aioli which was just.. God-like. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Just how we like our fries.

Then slowly after, our main arrive and we devoured it like two hungry men. We had the pumpkin pizza with dukkah, caramelised onions, feta and spinach. A really awesome main. It's not too big.. about 6 slices on a pizza. Just enough to fill a bunch of dancers up, especially since they also destroyed a bowl of chips just before hand. Yeewww! 

We ended our meal with a nice dessert. The chocolate tart. It was infreakingably amazing. Seriously, it was THE SHIT. The chocolate was not too overpowering and the pastry was nice and crumbly. 

In all, a really good experience and we're glad we chose this lovely place to wind down on a Friday night. Totally worth your while the next time you are on Brunswick Street.

Our thoughts: 9.5/10

Little Creatures Dining Hall
222 Brunswick St  Fitzroy VIC 3065
P: (03) 9417 5500