Chin Chin

Where? Chin Chin (Melbourne CBD, Melbourne, Australia) Map

When? Tuesday December 30, 2014

Who? Just Me

Food Style? Contemporary Hawker-Style Southeast Asian

One of Melbourne's finest eateries, Chin Chin is always busy and bustling, just like the streets of Southeast Asia when there's food around. Their hawker-style food is well-known in the Melburnian foodie circles, and I tried to go here twice with groups of friends before trekking here myself, at the late lunch time of 2pm. I figured with a place this popular, I should be at least be able to get a seat for one that late in the afternoon; also, this was on my "must try" places, so there was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity!

I was given a seat at the bar, right by the kitchen. My view overlooks the masses of condiments, herbs, spices and garnish at the preparation area, and I feel a sense of excitement - I'm hoping this is going to be everything and more. I'm watching the kitchen staff operate in extreme efficiency, preparing and plating their creations, the looks of concentration and dedication to their cause so evident on their faces, and it's truly magical to watch. I can't help but smile at all of this happening. Service here is exceptional, and despite it being almost packed, my food arrives in just under 10 minutes.

Frozen Coconut Crush

With orange and passionfruit
I'd been walking all day and this was just the right drink to quench my thirst; cooling and refreshing, and even better so with the spicy dish I'd ordered. The pandan leaf was a lovely touch.

Crying Tiger

Char-grilled sher wagyu, chilli tamarind dressing, ground roast rice, fried glass noodles and Thai basil
Fantastic wood and smokey flavours, the meat is exceptional in taste and texture. It's grilled to perfection - medium rare, naturally! The greens that accompany the dish are fresh and crunchy. This take on the traditional Thai beef salad has a vibrance and intensity about it that really hits home for me. The balance of flavours is perfect, with the lime providing that zest and sweetness to take the edge off the salt, garlic and onion. Ample amounts of rice helps to even out the dish too, and there is plenty of fresh chilli to keep me challenged!

I thought that while I was here, I should go all the way and splurge, so I ordered the wok-fried salt and pepper squid too, but unfortunately forgot to take a photo (very uncharacteristic of me). This dish comes with nuoc cham and Vietnamese mint, the squid is lightly battered and has plenty of great bite. The sauce is sweet and sour - a whole symphony of flavours is present and I'm having such a good time.

Palm Sugar Ice-Cream Sundae

With salted honeycomb and lime syrup
Absolutely fantastic. The first bite crunches into the honeycomb, a pairing of sweet and salty, with the gooeyness of the ice cream coming later, and finally a hint of tartness in the lime syrup and bitterness in the smokey caramel. Such an emotional dessert journey. The lime doesn't taste artificial at all, and has a subtle hint of zest as well. It's not overly sweet or sickly, and definitely made a lasting impression on me.

My three course meal with a drink cost me $73 AUD, which is slightly more than their $70 "Feed Me" option - a minimum of two people required for this, but essentially they feed you a selection of signature dishes until you're full. Totally sounds like my kind of thing! It's easy to see why Chin Chin is so popular and definitely hit the standard I was expecting. I am so coming back here. Well played, restaurant, well played.

Posted by Jeremy at 7:55am on Tuesday March 10, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

Red Spice QV

Where? Red Spice QV (Melbourne CBD, Melbourne, Australia) Map Menu

When? Monday December 29, 2014

Who? Ants, Jo, Ben and Jill

Food Style? Modern Asian Food with Melbournian Attitude

Slowly trying to get through all my Melbourne reviews. So much food to write about!

On the Tuesday, we had spent a bit of time wandering around town, trying to find a place that would sit all five of us AND be open over the Christmas/New Years period. There was a two hour wait at Chin Chin, and Rice Paper Scissors was closed, so we kept walking and in the end, we arrived at the Queen Victoria Village, or QV as it's known by the locals, and we chose Red Spice QV. We were seated at the end of a very long table that could have easily fit 30 people. Red Spice have a couple of restaurants in Melbourne and their philosophy is similar to Gingerboy's: vibrant Asian flavours meets Australian produce and ingredients. The dishes are intended to be shared, just like a traditional Chinese meal. We ordered three dishes and a few drinks between the five of us.

Slow Roasted Goat Shoulder

With spicy eggplant, smashed tomato, coriander and crispy beans
So hearty and very well cooked; the meat just crumbles under the fork. Great tang in the salad and tomatoes, and loved the texture of the crunchy nuts and crispy beans.

Pork Belly

With chilli caramel, herb salad and black vinegar
Fantastic textures, good balance of sweetness in the hoisin sauce and the sour in the black vinegar. Pork belly is such a wonderful comfort food - it is also one of Red Spice's signature dishes. A must try!

Chilli salt fried pandan soft shell crab

With picked cucumber salad
I cannot get enough of soft shell crab. Wonderful seafood flavours with a nice hint of chilli and lime that only added to the natural taste. Couldn't really detect the pandan, but I wouldn't expect it to be a prominent feature in this dish.

Overall, the meal was enjoyable but definitely not one in Melbourne's upper echelons of restaurants. It's the kind of place you'd go with heaps of people for a decent feed. We ended up going to Cookie Beer Bar for a quick drink afterwards. Good times!

Posted by Jeremy at 10:54am on Sunday March 1, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

Gingerboy

Where? Gingerboy (Melbourne CBD, Melbourne, Australia) Map Menu

When? Sunday December 28, 2014

Who? Reuben, Shereen, Sam, Jo, John and Sam

Food Style? Modern Asian Hawker-Style Street Food

Melbourne has a thriving Asian presence, evident in the number of food establishments serving Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Taiwanese, Chinese and Hong Kong cuisine. I found this incredibly exciting, seeing a full range of styles of eateries around the CBD - there were the Taiwanese chains like Chatime, Gong Cha and Dessert House, familiar names that I've seen in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore; there was Pappa Rich, a Malaysian delights store; there were family-owned restaurants like Rice Paper Scissors and Coconut House. On our first night in Melbourne CBD, we decided to go for a nice dinner somewhere, but all the popular places were booked out (naturally)! Sam and Jo, the locals, set us up at Gingerboy on the east side of the CBD.

The place is a dynamic buzz of hipster and upmarket activity, where modern Australia meets Southeast Asia. Food here is meant to be shared in tapas-style; variety is the spice of life, after all. We chose five small plates and five large plates between the seven of us.

Peppered Swordfish Tataki

With tofu, curd, avocado, Korean black bean dressing
Great fishy flavour with a good solid bite. The wasabi mayo is quite subtle, but when combined with the avocado, it provided the dish with a nice creamy sauce and a tasty soy finish.

Tempura Chilli Salt Cuttlefish

With lemon and roasted sesame
Not outstanding, but still enjoyable. We agreed the batter was pretty good, but it really just tasted like your regular deep fried squid.

Crying Tiger Beef Salad

With roasted rice, cherry tomato and Asian herbs
Great Southeast Asian flavours - really liked the coriander and chilli. The meat was juicy and sliced ever so perfectly.

Creamed Coconut Rice

We had heard that Gingerboy was famous for this, so we had to try it. It was very tasty, but incredibly rich and I wouldn't have been able to eat too much of this by itself - it needed more rice to dilute the flavour! Fantastic when eaten with curry and other spicy dishes.

Salt and Pepper Chicken Spare Ribs

With tamarind hot sauce
Incredibly intense flavours with a great piquant zest. I kinda wanted rice with this, it was quite overwhelming at times. It was delicious and juicy, and the tamarind, lemongrass and chilli really stood out. We mixed some of the leftover coconut rice with the tamarind sauce for a great time - the flavours from each dish complemented the other so perfectly, the balance it struck was truly impressive.

Red Braised Pork Belly

With caramelised chilli and coriander relish, green apple and roasted peanuts
Soft but not overly so; I've had better pork belly that melts in your mouth. The flavours were similar to the chicken spare ribs - strong and bold.

Szechuan Spiced Eggplant

With crispy egg noodles, garlic stem and Chinese wine dressing
Nice and simple flavours, this dish was a wonderful interlude from the intensity and richness of the other dishes.

Whole Fried Baby Snapper

With pickled ginger flower caramel, young coconut
Absolutely delicious, the fish was fresh, and had a hint of sweetness in the skin.

Mussaman Curry

With slow roasted lamb shoulder, kipfler potato, candied shallots
Very tasty, but far too intense and salty for me to enjoy it. It needed a lot of rice to take the edge off the dish.

Red Duck Leg Curry

With Thai basil and coconut cream
This had a very overpowering ginger taste, but with the meat and potato, this was quite palatable.

Overall, very impressed with the ambience of the restaurant and the intense, bold personality behind the food, but the flavours were often too strong or overpowering, and really needed some moderation or balance (or a lot more rice) to even it out. Not bad Melbourne, not bad at all.

Posted by Jeremy at 9:10am on Sunday February 15, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

Back to Milse

Where? Milse (Britomart, Auckland, New Zealand) Map

When? Wednesday December 24, 2014

Who? My parents

Food Style? Dessert

My parents had never been to Milse (they aren't particularly big dessert fans) but after hearing me rave about how elegant and light their desserts are, they decided to give it a try. They were certainly busy on Christmas Eve of 2014, but we did manage to secure a table just around 9pm. It was good to see a fresh change in their menu, incorporating some great seasonal flavours and fruits. I love when restaurants are constantly inventing new dishes and actively expanding their menu, and especially when they take advantage of what's readily available in local markets. It shows an extra layer of expertise and dedication.

My Choice

Blueberry: Caramelised White Chocolate, Sorrel and Olive Oil
When I went to Milse with Mike and Mel, we were amazed to see a gigantic ball of awesome being served on one of the plates. We discovered that it was the carrot cake dessert and we vowed to have it the next time we came to Milse, so when I came here with my parents, I immediately asked if I could get the carrot cake one with the large ball on top; the waiter replied that they've actually shifted the large ball to the blueberry dessert, so I chose that instead. No regrets at all - great summer flavours, refreshing and creamy, subtle olive oil cakey bits with a good variety of textures showcasing all the different styles of dessert. The presentation of this was stunning and most impressive.

Dad's Choice

Kalingo 66%: Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut, Kiyomi and Jasmine
Essentially the same as what Mike chose last time, and similar to how I remember it tasting - still odd with a hint of orange peel piercing the dark chocolate. The 66%, we learned, refers to the percentage of cocoa in the dark chocolate. I really loved the hazelnut finish on this, and wish it was stronger.

Khim's Choice

Bahibe 43%: Chocolate, Cherries, Macadamia and Vanilla
Another immaculately presented dish, the Bahibe had a nicer chocolate and nut flavour than the Kalingo. Again, there was a good variety of textures that gave the dish depth and complexity. Good to see the use of cherry in here, giving the dessert a great summer essence.

Posted by Jeremy at 1:43am on Friday February 6, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

Tatsumi

Where? Tatsumi (Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Tuesday December 23, 2014

Who? My parents

Food Style? Contemporary Japanese Fusion

Tatsumi are originally from Christchurch, but made the move to Auckland after the devastating earthquakes forced them out of the red-zoned central business district. Newmarket should be glad to have them; their menu has been refined for over 17 years and brings an exquisite, contemporary freshness to traditional Japanese cuisine unlike anything I've ever had before. I took my parents here for Tatsumi's Christmas Degustation; Khim opted for the five course variant, while my father and I took the full eight courses.

First Course

Amuse Bouche
Today's amuse bouche was a shot of thick tomatoey juice, sour and tangy with plenty of fresh herb flavours, and a spoon of trevally, strong and salty with a good bite.

Second Course: Treasure Box

Chef's Selection of Six Appetizers
Today's selection was mushroom and deep fried monk fish, beef tataki, tuna tataki, tempura oyster, mussels and lotus root and sesame green bean. Each individual appetizer had its own unique, delicate flavour; the seafood, I remember, was full of natural flavours highlighted with whatever mayonnaise, sesame or soy accompaniments. The standout dish to me was the tempura oyster - amazing texture on the inside and outside. Looooove oysters.

Third Course (Eight Course Menu): Rainbow Sashimi Summer Roll

Fresh Tuna, Salmon, White Fish, Shiso Leaves wrapped with Rice Paper, Japanese Pickled Plum Miso Sauce, Soba Seeds, Crispy Shrimps
The choice of plums in the ingredient list is truly inspired, giving the dish some wonderful personality, and a real summery essence. The fish was fresh and shrimp was deliciously crispy. They balanced umami, salt and sweet so well here, with a fine smokey finish in the soba seeds. This wasn't just a fantastic symphony of flavours, it was a work of culinary art, full of colour and pizzazz.

Third Course (Five Course Menu): Variety of Sashimi

Three Kinds of Sliced Raw Fish with Fresh Wasabi and Tamari Soy
There's something wonderful about the way the Japanese do sashimi. The texture is perfect and smooth; the fish meat is void of bones and fat and roughness, and when wasabi is freshly made instead of recomposed from powder and water, it definitely makes a difference to the meal.

Fourth Course: Crispy Kadayif Wrapped Blue Cod

Grilled Prawn and Hokkaido Scallop, Cherry Tomato Compote, Miso Flavoured Beurre Blanc Sauce
Oh my goodness, the sauce was amazingly rich and buttery, fantastic complimenting textures with the crispiness in the kadayif and the soft meaty flesh of the cod inside. This was super tasty, and balanced nicely with the fresh greens and sweet tomato compote. This also had a really good summery feel to it, and I love that simple gestures like that give the food so much personality.

Fifth Course: Canterbury Wakanui Beef Steak

Marinated Mushrooms, Asparagus, Japanese Picked Plum Flavoured Grated Daikon Radish, Shiso Leaves with Ponzu Sauce
Good, solid chunks of meat with an incredibly tantalising sauce. I have to admit that I am not a fan of mushrooms, and these were gifted to the nearest neighbouring plate in return for more meat. The asparagus was pretty tasty too.

Sixth Course: Scampi Miso Soup

Tatsumi's Scampi Miso Soup is something special, and I think what I appreciate the most about this is that they've gone out of their way to make this feel truly homemade and different to what you'd get from other Japanese restaurants. One thing that struck me was the subtle addition of orange peel - superb! The scampi provides some wonderful seafood flavouring to the soup, and despite my best efforts, I was unable to suck any meat out of the shell.

Seventh Course: Nigiri Sushi

Salmon, Tuna and Scampi Nigiri Sushi, Fresh Wasabi and Tamari Soy
From left to right, tuna, scamp and salmon. This was sweet with not too much of a fishy flavour. Great and fresh, with some really potent wasabi - just how I like it!

Dessert #1: Yuzu Meringue Tart

Japanese Yuzu Citrus Flavoured Meringue Tart, Mascarpone Mousse, Berry Sauce, Pistachios
In order to maximise our variety, we decided to ensure we each had different desserts so we could sample the most from the menu. My choice was an ordinary meringue tart with extraordinary ingredients; a well-balanced dessert that wasn't sickly sweet like many similar meringues made from lemon curd. The liquor is definitely gave it that wonderful bitter alcoholic finish that made this so appetising. The vanilla cream was sublime, rich and intense, as if it was the embodiment of vanilla essence.

Dessert #2: An-Nin-Blancmange

Plum Wine Jelly, Almond Blancmange, Mango Milk Pudding
Blancmange is a pudding made from milk or cream, but thickened with sugar and gelatin until it becomes quite jelly-like. Khim was hesitant about this initially, but was won over by its refreshing, summer flavours. Simple and elegantly presented, this dessert was a pleasant surprise.

Dessert #3: Green Tea Fondant

Kohu Road Vanilla Ice Cream, Candied Sliced Orange
Perhaps their most famous dessert, dad's choice of dessert was as good as it's ever been. I was so impressed by the candied orange slice. The fondant is quite dense and cakey, with a beautifully thick gooey texture on the inside. The green tea really polishes the sweetness off so nicely with a hint of bitterness, but you might not like this if you're not used to this flavour. The three elements on the plate - orange, berry/vanilla and green tea - complimented each other perfectly. A truly inspired dessert.

This would have been my third time to Tatsumi and I have never been disappointed. Presentation and flavour is impeccable; each plate overflowing with vitality and personality, and so beautifully crafted on a simple dish. Thoroughly enjoyable, a full 10/10 experience.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:27am on Wednesday January 28, 2015 :: 0 comments ::