Domestic Goddess: Packed Lunches @ VCA

Ellya Sam:

Students live on tight budgets. So, packing lunches from home is always the option Mealor and I go for  when we go to uni. Here is my weekly packed lunch. :)

Monday Blues:

Chicken and Avocado sandwich

I prepare this the night before for a quick get-away the next morning when I head off to uni. It's as easy as assembling half an avocado and boiled chicken (shredded after) in between two wholemeal toasts. Drizzle that with some Kewpie Japanese Mayo and you're good to go. Also, I would totally crack some pepper on that. ;) I leave this overnight in the fridge and bring it to uni the next day! Easy as.

Tired- ass Tuesday:

Ham Avocado Salad Wrap

I use the Mission lite wraps and top it with 3 slices of honey- baked ham, fresh garden salad, tomatoes and the other half of the avocado from the day before. Again, with my trustee Kewpie, I wrap and I'm good to go!

 Wednesday hump- day:

Salmon, avocado and cream cheese on toast.

Another yummy favourite. To last me for my longest day of the week, I have here some slices of smoked salmon, a FULL avocado and some generous amounts of cream cheese on a multigrain toast. :) Yum!

 Thursday almost-there:

Indomie with egg and cracked chilli

I take advantage of the fact I start late on Thursdays. Well, not late, but like an hour later. Which is a huge deal. Dont judge meh.

Ah, the indomie. My go- to lazy food. How I prepare my indomie isn't that spectacular, really. Standard procedure of boiling a pot of water and dumping the noodles in the pot. I then prepare my condiments that will mix with my noodles later on. I put everything in my bowl from the packet of indomie. The salt powder, oil, chili and dark sauce. I then add an extra teaspoon of cracked dried chilli and wait for my noodles to reach the al-dante stage. ;) I strain my noodles and then dump them onto my bowl on top of my condiments. 

I like to leave the noodles in there to soak up the powder and oil and also, I find it mixes better when I leave the hot noodles in my condiments for a while before mixing it. 

Anyway, then I get onto my egg. I crack a nice large egg onto my tiny fry pan and cook it till the whites have turned solid. I add a bit of cayenne  pepper and serve it on top of my noodles. I bring this to school in a microwavable container and reheat it during lunch. :)

 Fat- food Friday:

Nutella on toast.

Such a classic. I love nutella in tubs however, I always find myself digging my spoon into the huge tubs whenever I need my fix. VERY bad. So, I found a solution. These 20g packets are the way to go! It keeps me in control of my portions.

Hope this gives you a few ideas on what to bring to school for lunch! :)

As always...  

If you do happen to try this recipe, let ProofThatDancersEat know how you went with a comment down below! Alternatively, you can instagram us a photo and tag @ellyasam and @mealors! :) 

Also, click onto Domestic Goddess on our labels section on the right hand bar for more recipes. Feel free to suggest recipes as well!

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

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

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

Twenty and Six Expresso

Having a four hour break at VCA means we get to spend our lunches at nice places like this one. Twenty and Six Expresso does not disappoint if you are looking for something yummy to eat. 

Tucked away in a very secluded area on Queensberry street, you would not miss this baby because of the long line of people waiting outside to be fed. 

Elephants are cool!

Twenty and Six unfortunately is a small space, so be warned, you may not always find a seat at peak food hour! 

As the norm of Mealor and Sam, customary caps and lattes come our way in a snap. They look as lovely as they taste, we might add.

Our coffees went in as quick as they came and we ordered another round. This time, their chai. 

Not the best. Awks.

We had the Hunter, which is their best seller on their menu. "Balsamic roasted Portobello mushrooms, spicy Spanish chorizo, sourdough, creme fraiche and black truffle oil.  ($16.90)  ".  It is a spectacularly displayed meal and makes you think that you are eating something created off from MasterChef.  It's awesome, and reasonably priced, yeww!!

Photos are proof. 

Extra $2.50 for an avo 

The first thing you notice when these bad boys come out is the smell of mushrooms and truffle oil. It still amazes us to this day how awesome it smelt the second it arrived at our table. Holy shit. I can't even.. 

Definitely a favourite of ours.

Our thoughts: 8/10

Twenty and Six Expresso
594 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
P: 9329 0298