Of Mexican!

Before going back to uni and back into studying, we had an amazing night planned. Of Monsters and Men were playing at the Corner Hotel; supported by The Falls and The Trouble with Templeton.

But before that, we had to fill up our bellies. So we opted for Mexican at Fonda Mexican on Swan Street! After reading several reviews, we decided to go extra early to ensure we had some grub before the show. However, this turned out to be unnecessary as the huge line was more for the take-away option than sit-down dinner. So we we're seated quickly and immediately I had to take out my camera to take a snap of that uniquely quaint wired chandelier which stood out boldly against the vintage-pressed metal splash back ceiling.

The menu was small, but those are the best kinds of menus in my opinion. We all opted for the charred corn; it was charred nicely with a generous amount of ricotta salata on top and tasted delicious, though messy. (However, Mamasita's corn on a cob still has to be favourite).

Charred Corn; with Chipotle aioli, ricotta salata and lime

We also got the Fat Chips to share which we're so hot that you knew they were a fresh batch of fatty goodness, topped with chipotle aioli. I got the fish taco (which in hindsight, I should of ordered a couple more) because they absolutely go down well! It was clean and fresh. The fish was freshly fried, not soggy. Along with the pickled carrots/onions, cabbage and chipotle aioli - my taste buds were salivating! And at $6 a pop, you can't go wrong! I also got the Horchata as a drink, which came in a jar with a funky retro straw. It tasted quite nice and mellowed out the Mexican well.

Fish (Market Fresh) Taco; chipotle aioli, pickled carrots/onion and cabbage

Alenka and Marija both shared one chicken burrito which they didn't quite like...for reasons I've forgotten now. But I tried it and enjoyed it. It was well balanced with a delightful texture (as I usually find burritos quite...stodgy), the chicken was grilled nicely that there was some crispy elements to it and the hint of heat was very much welcomed!

Grilled Chicken Burrito; Quinoa, salsa verde, corn, queso fresco and cabbage

This place is mamasita's without the long queue; but they really are Mexican restaurant worth visiting (and not only because you want to avoid a long queue). They are reasonably priced, fresh and quirky. I will definitely be coming back and ordering alot more than the last!

Until the next meal,

Char.

Double the brunch

Sorry for the absence in posting, but there hasn't been an absence of eating out in new and familiar places. It's the last week of holidays and I've finally decided to post about the places we ventured out to during our first week off.

It was a day filled with vintage clothing and me pointing out that The Block filmed here and there (in which I received many "shut up charlene!" remarks). Along with filling my wardrobe with pieces of clothing that we're pre-loved, I was filling up my belly!

We started off with breakfast at Olive's at 8am (or what I like to refer to as "Breakfast At Tiffany's"), last trisome breakfast for awhile, as that night she was to jet off to Europe. We whipped up blueberry pancakes, she made us a last cup of frothy cap and some nice Green Almond Tea. We shared our last hugs and goodbyes. Miss you dearly Olive!

Then Marija and I met up with Alenka and Yags to head off to the city for brunch (yes we ate a lot this day...), I kept urging us to go Madame Sousou and the tram stopped right in front of it!

It had very quirky decor, with a wall of wine and walls covered in mostly betty-boopish paintings. It was a very inviting and warm environment.

The breakfast menu had all the classics and all sounded delicious but both me and lenka opted for the Ceufs Van Dieman which consists of poached eggs on an English muffin with Tasmanian smoked salmon and tarragon hollandaise sauce.

Ceufs Van Dieman

It tasted absolutely delicious! The eggs were cooked to perfection, with the yolk oozing out once punctured. The hollandaise sauce was well balanced and not overly tangy. One of my favourite combinations for breakfast!

Marija ordered the Ceufs Florentine consisting of poached eggs on a English muffin with spinach and tarragon hollandaise sauce. They were gone faster than I could pick up my cutlery!

Ceufs Florentine

Finally, yags opted for something sweet -  the French Crepes with banana and hazelnut praline cream. I got a taste of the hazelnut praline cream and it was incredibly delicious! It tasted just like Ferrero rocher and there was a generous scoop of it too!

French Crepes with banana and hazelnut praline cream

Overall, Madame Sousou was a real treat. It is very affordable, lovely atmosphere and most importantly - delicious food! Will definitely visit again!

It was approaching late afternoon and we found ourselves wandering with a very empty stomach. And after two breakfast, we thought why not have some greasy goodness! We headed down to Chapel Street and went straight to Soda Rock Diner. I had the chilli fries with chilli con carne and cheese (which I wish they were more generous with) and I stupidly ordered it in "hot" instead of mild thinking it would go down better...boy was I wrong. It was nice but would definitely go for mild next time!

I would definitely come back to Soda Rock for a casual lunch and maybe try the "hop" burger next time!

Until the next meal,

Char!

Breakfast @ Heirloom

A few weeks back, it was my cousins Hen's day/night (keep a look out for my post on High Tea @ The Windsor Hotel...coming soon) and after a very fun-filled night, we awoke famished and in need of food before we headed off  home. We we're staying at Mantra on Exhibition, so it's not the usual place I'd have breakfast in the city but we'd have to make do.

We decided to take a walk and just go into the first restaurant/cafe that looked good. So we ended up at Heirloom.

Although the breakfast menu was pretty standard. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I opted for the "Breakfast burger" with fried egg, bacon, tomato, lettuce, beetroot relish and mayonnaise. And a cappuccino which was complemented with a nicely toasted biscotti.

 Lovely cap

The Breakfast Burger

The burger was delicious, the buns were nicely toasted covered with just the right amount of mayonnaise and the lovely beetroot relish. The cheese was oozing and I just couldn't dig in quicker when it arrived at the table.

The service was really friendly and the waiters kept refilling our water glasses throughout the meal. I would definitely come back again if I was ever in the area.

Char.

Win for Chin Chin

Without a doubt I've abandoned this venture of mine into food blogging but this weekend me and one of my besties, Marija, had a very exciting Sunday planned. We were going to be ambitious, food wise, and make a long overdue visit to Chin Chin before seeing Florence and The Machine (!!!) later that night. Knowing that there would be a wait, I was anxious that we would get a fed at all.

We arrived at the well deserved, number one most talked about restaurant on Urbanspoon, Chin Chin at around 5:30pm. The waiter kindly told us that there would be a 45 minute wait (which I heard 5 mistakenly twice and got excited...just goes to show how deaf I can be). They directed us to the underground bar. We browsed through the menu for some non-alcoholic concoctions but there were none. But the waitress kindly asked us what we liked and they would make something up for us! Now that's service. Without thinking I said citrus (but really I meant tropical), good thing M had her mind in gear and said fruity or else I would be in all sorts of tingles.

Our surprise mock tails - They tasted exactly to the description of what we ordered and went down quite well with the delicious fed we had ahead.

 Earlier that expected, we receive a text message telling us our table was ready...and it was right at the kitchen bar! I could not be more excited. Seeing those chefs in their element, pumping out consistently well plated dishes was mesmerising for me. If we had more time on our hands, I would happily sit there for another good half hour watching them. Well enough about our seating arrangement, lets get down to business!

We ordered the Wok fried salt and pepper squid, Chilli salt chicken wings, Shredded chicken, spanner crab salad, roti and after watching them dish up several desserts at the bar we just had to order one!

The Wok fried salt and pepper squid - tender and flavoursome, delish! Best eaten with all the condiments.

The chilli salt chicken wings - melt in your mouth!

These are by far the best chicken wings I've ever devoured! They were melt in your mouth, packed with flavour and not oily which most chicken wings are. They went down an absolute treat. I'm yet to try more of their savory dishes but this was my favourite one that night. Highly recommend!

The shredded chicken and spanner crab salad

This salad was definitely tasty but the chicken was abundant and sadly the crab was scarce. But that was expected. It had jellyfish in it as well which I enjoyed, but not so much M. She was almost too scared to even try the dish after I told her "what are those slimy strings?". 

After our meal, we decided we had to try their dessert. And that definitely filled us up, good thing we only ordered one to share!

The Palm sugar ice cream sundae with salted honeycomb and lime syrup - this has won me over towards lemon-y desserts

Boy, this dessert is absolutely delicious. I've never been a fan of lemon-y desserts but this moderately sized cup of refreshing goodness has definitely won me over. The crunch of the salted honeycomb, then you hit the sweet sugar palm ice cream with subtle hints of coconut (or am I just going nuts) and to really hit your palate, the well balanced lime syrup hits all the right spots. We we're each prolonging each spoonful. This dessert alone is enough to make me go back.

I can't wait for my next visit. 9/10!

Char!