Dumping the books for dumplings @ HuTong Dumpling Bar

The Trisome have officially reunited over some dumplings last friday, with exams finally over, we we're set to dine out without the guilt of knowing that we should be studying instead like our previous hang outs. Initially, we we're meant to go to HuTong in the CBD, with Olive suggesting that I book the saturday before (which I should of listened to) but instead I waited until wednesday and they we're all booked out for three on friday. So we had to quickly make a booking for their newly opened store, situated in The Cullen Hotel, Prahran.

Pot of peppermint tea (which proved hard for me to order that day, I couldn't seem to get the words out and I'm pretty sure the waiter thought I was illiterate - "can I have a pot of pottermint tea?")

We made a pretty standard order when one goes into a dumpling bar. Xiao Long Bao is a must (especially with all the good things I've heard about the ones at HuTong) and they sure did deliver! (Maybe abit too much if you asked Olive, who bit into one and had the soup go all over her clothes) As for me, they were the best I've tasted. They came out steaming, the skin was a delicate texture but still managed to hold in all the soup, it was definitely my favourite. Must come back on a colder day to really appreciate them.

Steaming Xiao Long Bao

We also ordered two serves of the Peking Duck, which were average in my opinion and much too over priced. With that money, I could of bought a whole duck and made it myself (though no one trusts me with a cleaver so maybe that isn't an option).

Peking Duck

We sure love our duck, so we followed suit with an order of Duck springrolls and I was rather disappointed that there were only two for the price charged but both Marija and Olive liked them so I'm sure they were worth it.

And of course one cannot go into a dumpling bar without ordering fried dumplings. We opted for the Fried Pork Dumplings. Which were succulent. The skin was tender (and most importantly, not too thick! Which is the crime of most dumpling shops these days), it had this fried pan skin aswell which is something I haven't seen. Another instant favourite.

Fried Pork Dumplings

Overall, the customer service was better than expected and the food was as expected from all the hype surrounding HuTong Dumpling Bar. Definitely coming back again to try their Chilli Wonton!



Char!

Seven Seeds

It's been quite awhile since I've posted up a review, it's not that I haven't eaten out lately but it's been due to a combination of a couple of things: a broken camera, exams and sheer laziness to actually blog. But I've gotten a new camera, and frankly, I'm not exactly studying that hard. So I decided to start blogging again. My apologises for the lack of photos of food accompanied with some random's review.

So last thursday, we embarked to the city for two reasons: studying and eating, is there a time where the two don't come hand-in-hand? Probably not.

We walked down a quiet street near Melbourne University, and if we didn't know what the place was called we probably would of missed it.

Looking into the cafe, the place was packed out with students, Oak's day race-goers and just your usual indies que individuals. The wall by the entry had hanging bikes which was interesting and fun. And really just made me want to hop on one and ride!

We only had to wait a couple of minutes for a table and soon we we're seated and ready to order. Though the breakfast menu was quite limited in choices, both me and Marija settled for the Breakfast Bun. Which I coined a fancier, gourmet version of a McMuffin (but obviously tasted much better, and maybe slightly better for you). Accompanying our breakfast, of course is a latte. Skinny latte for Marija, regular for me (plus a heap of sugar, of course). I would say it's the best latte I've had so far, it was rich, creamy and smooth - went down a treat. And the latte art didn't hurt anyone.

 Skinny Latte

Regular latte

Breakfast Bun - Fried egg, hollandise sauce, sundried roasted tomatoes, crispy bacon, buttered buns - delish!

Overall, the coffee was fantastic and the food was just an added bonus. I will definitely come back whenever I'm near the area. I think this is the beginning of my breakfast series on this blog so stay tuned!

Char

Mexplosion

Where do I even start with Mamasita's?!

Last friday, me and my friends went into Mamasita's after a day at the zoo which proved to be one of the ideal times to dine there. As it was after lunch and before dinner. So there was no queue and there was a bustling but not crammed amount of customers in there which added to the very cosy atmosphere.

Upon arrival, I noticed how grand yet unpretentious the bar looked - certainly inviting. And the dangling light balls/things which added a more modern edge to the place.

We we're greeted politely and taken to our table. The service was impeccable for a casual dining place such as Mamasita's. Waiters and waitresses readily poured water into your glass and helped us through the menu during ordering. So as service and atmosphere goes, this place gets a 10 out of 10 from me. But now to the food. Oh, the food!

When I had to explain my experience at Mamasita's last friday, I was literally out of words as I was slowly...or rapidly building up to a mild heart attack in Olive's car. I was just lost for words, all I could manage to articulate between taking in deep breaths were remarks such as "explosion of flavours", "my mind was blown" (and still is) followed by a whole bunch of moans and sighs. I'm not even sure how'd I'd describe my attempt at describing my experience as anything less than "this girl may just be a little too enthusiastic, borderline crazy!". At one point, I liked my reaction to that crazy cat lady who made a real/spoof (yet to know which one it is) eharmony video - "I want them in a basket!". But seriously, I WOULD want Mamasita's famous Corn on the Cob (appearing as "Elotes callejeros" on their menu) in a basket!!

And yes, I know that "corn on a cob" doesn't sound too exciting maybe even slightly messy (which it is) thus putting you off ordering it BUT believe me when I say it is the BEST corn on a cob I've ever and probably will taste in my life, it's worth getting messy over! It literally BLEW my tastebuds away, I was buzzing with excitement as I savoured each kernel of corn on that cob! The melt in your mouth kernels covered with a generous amount of queso (some sort of awesome tasting cheese which I first mistakened for coconut), mayonnaise, lime (if preferred) and then the BANG of the chipotle that's smeared neatly on that cob. It really does make for the perfect starter. Just talking about it gets me excited, I want some right now! But we also ordered the Tortilla chips with both salsa and guacamole to accompany those salty, corn crisps (what I assume are house-made chips) to share. The guacamole was the stand out between the two for me.

We each ordered our own tacos and I ordered the "de Camarones" which is simply their prawn taco which Jen said was meant to be really good. And boy...did it hit all the right spots! Each prawn was journey in which I didn't want to stop taking. Marinated in habanero chillies & chipotle almond salsa, those prawns had hints of spice but it wasn't overpowering, it was just enough to wake up your tastebuds if they weren't awake already and the almond rounded off the spice nicely. Will definitely go back for this too.

We also ordered the "Enchilada de calabaza con pipián rojo" to share which were two stuffed tortillas filled with roasted pumpkin and caramelised onions with a "pipián rojo" sauce and "queso fresco" cheese. This was certainly more subtle in flavours, tasting similar to butter chicken. The cheese and the sauce go really well together. As a whole, this was a very comforting dish.

At first I rated the food 9 out of 10 but now that I think about it - it certainly deserves a big fat 10! I can't really find any fault in it. I simply LOVED it. And I will definitely go back again and again. I cannot recommend Mamasita's enough! Seriously. Especially for a casual day or night out. GO THERE NOW if you can!



Char out!

P.S: Thanks Z!

Brunching it

As promised, here are my reviews on two of the tea rooms we visited last weekend whilst we were up in Olinda.

Before checking-in our lovely Loft suite, we drove to Warratina Lavender Farm to have brunch at their tea room. Unfortunately they have already pruned the lavender for the season but the tea room was cute with lavender products and cute tea-sets upon opening their doors.

I ordered the quiche just because there were too many orders of the lasagne on our table. And Marija's "Quiche Theory" stands, there is always something better on the menu that trumps the quiche. I also ordered Devonshire tea with a lavender scone (which was what I was looking forward to tasting most at the tea room) and a chai latte. Although the quiche was disappointing, the lavender scone certainly wasn't. Nice and crumbly and moist with the subtle fragance of lavender. Just lovely.

Alenka's tea - which was a disaster to pour

Spinach and ricotta quiche with a side salad

 

Devonshire tea (w/ normal and lavender scones)

The next day, before horse-back riding and our trip home we stopped by the popular Miss Marple's Tearoom. And it certainly lived up to being a popular destination. We arrived just as the doors opened and there was already people waiting outside, ready and eager to get in. The Christmas in July decoration were up, the tea room was surrounded by an assortment of teapots and photographs of Miss Marple's. It didn't take long til the whole tea room was bustling with customers. Despite their popularity, the service was rather inconsistent (after the food came, you were just made to feel unwelcome and we were billed) and their menu was lackluster. I was stumped on what to order and that's usually a very uncommon thing for me as I always manage to find something to excite my tastebuds. The scones weren't really scones, in both taste and appearance. The tea was average though I didn't get to enjoy a lot of it. But the fingers were pleasant. Maybe my expectations we're too high but overall, it was pretty average, nothing to be excited over. Probably won't go back there again.

Miss Marple's Sundae, Devonshire tea and their famous fingers.

Next time, it's lunch!

Char.

Homemade

This week has been a good week in the kitchen. So far I've cooked twice and yet to take over the kitchen when me and the girls are on our getaway in Olinda this weekend. There's something about cooking that really gets me excited! Absolutely can't wait until I have my own kitchen!

Monday night I cooked butter chicken with roti bread for my family. And today, me and marija made our own gnocchi and macaroons (which turned out to be a complete disaster compared to our first few attempts...). But atleast the gnocchi (well the second batch, thanks to marija) turned out great. And thanks to Olive, the disaster of the macaroons made for a good 'plan b' - the macaroon sundae or also unknown as the "trisome trifle".

Excuse the heavily pixelated quality photos...but these are just some quick snaps of some homemade goodness:

Butter chicken

Tomato, bacon & bocconcini with homemade gnocchi bake

Plan B - a macaroon sundae/"trisome trifle"

This upcoming weekend is really exciting. Me and the girls will be visiting two tea rooms up in Olinda, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for some more reviews and mouth-watering worthy photographs!

Char.

YB'S Mocktails

When we're out at dinners, me and the girls are always searching for fruity cocktails but sadly we are always almost left disappointed with a bitter after taste. Literally. Once we ordered "The Bitter Symphony" at the Pelican in St Kilda...although it was a glass half filled with ice cubes, we took the whole dinner to finish.

 The Bitter Symphony - Pelican, St Kilda

 Before

What's a better way to solve our problem than to make our own? So last friday night, we made our own mocktails (yes, even in Winter!! there's no stopping us)...with no recipes, we just made our own concoction of berry-goodness! And they turned out deliciously!

After

Want to try this berry-goodness? Just chuck in a can of blueberries, a couple of pineapple rings, 3/4 punnet of strawberries (leaving some for garnish), 3 tbs of sugar, splash of blueberry and cranberry juice, 2 cups of crushed ice and blend away! Before pouring in the mocktails, place a spoonful of passionfruit syrup at the bottom of the cup (for a crunchy/tropical surprise!) and top off the mocktail with a splash of grapetiser. Enjoy!

Char.

Treat yourself

It's about time I started a blog (I know what you're thinking guys)...just for food. This is now my new baby (though my posts for the time being will not be as frequent as I'd like due to a broken 'arm').

Food, what can I say? It's something me and my friends always joke over in the sense that we can never see eachother without it, if we're there, food is there...we've even challenged ourselves to NOT eat for once...so far it's been unsuccessful. So this is just a way to document all our adventures, our food footprints.

Yesterday the Trisome (me, Marija & Olive) ventured into the city to literally...try some! We got lost but eventually we found The Hardware Societe situated at the end of Hardware Street right across from some cafe named McSpankys (and knowing us...we had our fair share of laughs over the name, sorry!). When we arrived, it was busy and we had to wait. But all good things are worth the wait and boy was the food amazing! I was immediately drawn to the Duck Confit on their lunch menu (my photo doesn't do it justice). It was incredibly tasty, fall-off the bone tender and had a nice crispy skin...which I must admit is always almost my favourite part of duck. Paired with a glass of their French pear cider which cut through the rich duck nicely.

I tried some of Olive's braised lamb (special of the day) and it was so tender it just evaporated when it was in my mouth.

The overall experience at The Hardware Societe was fantastic, I'd give it a 9 out of 10. I will definitely be coming back especially to try their breakfast menu which looks like my kind of food to start off the day!



Right after our amazing lunch at Hardware Societe, we ventured down to Hardware Lane to a small but magnificent slice of France. Only specialising in macaroons, La Belle Miette was bound to have some amazing goods instore. And that they did. The best I've ever tasted and also the best looking. Coming in a very pretty pastel blue box.

Their shells are nice and crisp and once you take that first bite, it's kind of hard to stop (in fact I've been thinking about them the whole day today). But not only are the shells crisp, they are also moist and gooey inside which really adds to the texture. Their fillings are also lovely. Not overly sweet and overpowering like a lot of the places selling macaroons in Melbourne.

I tried the Violet & Blueberry, Strawberry & Vanilla, Pistachio, Cherry Blossom & Sake and Hazelnut. Violet & Blueberry has to be my absolute favourite macaroon I've ever tasted. But all the other ones I tasted were good too. I'm definitely going back...probably next week in fact!



Yesterday was definitely a day that we treated ourselves. Filled with amazing food, delightful macaroons and the best company. Until next time!

Char.