Thai meets Cafe at Kwan’s Table, St Kilda

Set amongst apartment buildings in a relatively quiet street off busy St Kilda road, the unassuming cafe space that is Kwan’s Table is easy to miss. But, on entering, one would find a quaint, humble and homely cafe that combines Thai flavours with a cafe style eating and a gorgeous Thai influenced patisserie selection.

The owners comprise of a chef and a pastry chef, which makes for a rather exciting and innovative menu. One can sit and watch their lunch or dinner being made in the open kitchen at the front of the space, or pick a decadent pastry from the cabinet that combines both French and Thai flavours. The food is fresh, zesty, innovative and reasonably priced, along with generous serving sizes.

The restaurant is simply but tastefully decorated, and the seating area includes a very cute little courtyard in the rear for those who prefer outdoor dining. Lunch options include Thai inspired burgers, sandwiches and salads, along with smaller offerings such a rice paper rolls, or chilli cheese ‘soldiers’. The dinner menu becomes a little more formal, adding some curries and rice dishes (all under $15, a steal).

The rice paper rolls are a great way to start- stuffed with crunchy vegetables, delectable grilled prawns and a dipping sauce. I

   

The stand out dish would have to be the Pork Belly salad; the dish you would definitely return for. Juicy pieces of pork belly lightly battered in almost a rice batter, crispy and not oily at all, accompanied by a light and fresh Asian style salad and a balanced Thai dressing, those sweet, salty and sour flavours that work so well together. The salad cuts through the rich decadence of the pork belly so well and we were all left raving about this salad.

The beef salad was also impressive with perfectly cooked pieces of tender beef with a Thai style salad and slippery rice noodles.

Soft shell crab burgers are big in Melbourne at the moment, and work well for me as I find soft shell crab on its own usually too greasy, but sandwiched in a good bun with some salad and it is perfectly balanced. This was a good burger, with a great sweet brioche bun, crab that was in a light and crispy batter and not greasy at all, and an Asian salad.

As well as serving cafe style food with a Thai flair (and a Thai style brunch menu coming very soon) another thing that makes Kwan’s Table unique is its patisserie offerings, something that is probably yet undiscovered as many would probably overlook it as a place to have coffee and cake. The patisserie window probably needs to be somehow placed closer to the front of the window, as it would be easy to miss and Kwan’s beautiful offerings shouldn’t be missed or ordered as an afterthought… one should leave room to try desserts such as Mango and Sticky Rice Macaroons, Young Coconut Cake with coconut jelly pearls, Pandan Eclairs or Black Sesame Cake.

  
  
For a cafe experience with a fresh and interesting twist, Kwan’s Table is worth searching for.

Have a delicious day,

Foodie Melbourne

Family Feasting at Belleville, CBD

A few months ago my Aunty from QLD presented me as the resident foodie in the family with what proved to be a most difficult task, even for a food obsessed Melbournian like myself. She wanted me to organize a dinner for 16 people on a Monday night as a surprise belated 21st for my cousin, who would be down from QLD for the Ed Sheeran concert. The basic brief was:
– on a Monday
– preferably not a set menu
– needs to have amazing vego options for my cousin who is vegetarian
– needs to have some simple options for my fussy teenage cousin
– needs  to be delicious enough to satisfy the family gourmets

This may sound relatively simple to some, and yes, I could have just booked us all into a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown, but being the foodie that I am I wanted to choose something a little different and impress. It was SO hard to find somewhere that was willing to let us come in a booking that big and not have a set menu, but thankfully Belleville Melbourne went one step further and we were even able to order and pay separately at the bar.

My cousin was super surprised and enjoyed the vego options, and the menu was affordable for everyone and heaps of variety.

Belleville is a hidden gem in Globe Alley, in Chinatown. A second story converted warehouse, it is a trendy and funky bar and eatery that would suit anyone from a group of hipsters to an older group of friends looking for dinner with some atmosphere. It is colourful and vibrant, and the Asian influenced tapas style menu carries the same find of vibe.

Our table as a whole consumed a huge amount of shared tapas- my pregnant cousin alone hilariously ate about 5 or 6 dishes. From poutine to cabbage rolls to rotisserie chicken to soft shell crab burgers, we probably tried practically the entire menu. Everyone was impressed with their meals, from my body builder brother, to my Aunty and Uncle who said ‘everything was wonderful’ to my vego cousin and her super fussy sister who just ate chips.

  
  

The stand out for me would have to be the Mac and cheese lobster croquette, and the deliciously naughty poutine! Definitely take your next cheat meal here…

The staff handled our big table beautifully- the food came out quickly and was served with a smile. The atmosphere was fun and lively, and we had the dining experience of shared food in a modern pub like atmosphere, something that is sometimes hard to find for a big group.

Recommended by me, and 15 family members!

Have a delicious weekend,

Foodie Melbourne

Not just pizza at Son of a Pizzaiolo in Thornbury

Son of a Pizzaiolo knows pizza. A sister restaurant of Woodfire in Ivanhoe, this newish Thornbury cafe and restaurant does great woodfired pizza also. However, the name of this hip new cafe and eaterys’ name is deceptive, because in addition to great pizza, SOP also does some incredible brunch and lunch options. From amazing pancakes to a nourishing super salad, there is much more than just pizza at this rustic styled, warm and welcoming eatery.

 I attended as part of a small bloggers table visiting for brunch on a Saturday recently, which meant we got to order ALL the food. Luckily, with the same motives, we were happy to all order different food so we could photograph and sample a large range of the brunch and lunch options on offer… Plus, I arrived first and got first pick. Boo-yah!

The Ancient Super Grain salad is the perfect nourishing meal, fitting for when you are super hungry but want something good for you. I have said in previous posts that if I am going to order a salad for breakfast, it needs to be substantial and this one is chock full of yummy ingredients like quinoa, avocado, goji berries, asparagus, fennel, yellow cauliflower, pumpkin seeds, poached eggs and so on… Yep, this ticks the substantial box.

I am not a huge sweet breakfast fan but I adored the mixed berry hotcake- definitely not to be mistaken with pancakes, this was a large, dense but fluffy ricotta hotcake covered with berry coulis, rich marscapone, fresh berries and crunchy pistachios.

 The stand-out brunch option for me was a delightful crispy skinned ocean trout with cauliflower puree, kipfler potatoes, pickled baby beets and apricot preserve. The sweetness of the apricot and beets was a lovely addition to the perfectly cooked trout and creamy cauliflower.

The other bloggers also tried an array of delicious options such as the smashed avo, breakfast board and brunch spaghetti.

  

As if this wasn’t enough, we were treated to a last minute pizza tasting session; as food bloggers, I guess it is in our job description to ‘force’ ourselves to eat a second course even when we are out to brunch! Not surprisingly, the pizzas were wood-fired perfection, with a range of different toppings.

  
 Son of a Pizzaiolo is a new little gem in Thornbury, delivering a lot more than its’ name suggests it would. Don’t count this out as purely a pizza joint, but visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner and try all that it has to offer.

I hope you had a delicious weekend!

Foodie Melbourne

Please note: Foodie Melbourne dined as a guest of Son of a Pizzaiolo, but all opinions are genuine.

Oh darling, what a pretty brunch! at Darling Cafe, South Yarra

Last week I ventured out to Darling Cafe in South Yarra with some fellow food bloggers and had a darling breakfast with darling company. From my understanding this spot, right on the corner of Toorak Rd and Darling St has had a few cafes come in and out of it in the last few years, but this gorgeous spot looks set to make its mark and become one of South Yarra’s little darlings.

What struck me first about Darling was how beautiful it is. Gorgeous marble benches, brass fittings, gorgeous native flower arrangements deck out the light filled interior. Brunching is fun enough on its own without sitting in such a beautiful environment to eat in.

Speaking of pretty, that brings me to my breakfast. I had seen Darling’s beautiful Acai Bowl on Instagram and knew I just had to try it. Normally I can’t get away from a hot breakfast, but its beauty dragged me in and it paid off with a gorgeous, nourishing, filling, refreshing smoothie bowl that I thoroughly enjoyed. The bowl itself had a gorgeous mango and banana flavour, and the toppings were lovingly placed and gave it a fantastic texture, particularly the caramelized buckini’s. This is the kind of breakfast that you dream about long after you eat it, and I wish that this cafe was around the corner from me so I can eat it whenever I want.

The rest of the table stuck with some hot breakfasts and we all went with veggo options, but I enjoyed seeing how differently Darling had plated up common brunch items- the breakfast bruschetta, the vegetarian breakfast and the smashed avo all looked different from what you see everywhere else.

  
I dare anyone who visits Darling to attempt to pay at the counter without at least dreaming about trying one of their delicious baked goods… It is a lure I couldn’t resist. A cabinet stocked with Doughboys Doughnuts, Oregano Scrolls and Butterbing cookies quickly unraveled my good intentions of having a ‘healthy’ breakfast and I walked away with a doughnut AND a butterbing. I think I need to work on that whole willpower thing… or not.

A lovely addition to the Toorak Rd side of South Yarra.

I hope you had a delicious weekend!

Foodie Melbourne

Fancy fish and chippies at Tommy Ruff’s Fish Bar, Elsternwick

I have such fond memories of fish and chips. We are one of those families that religiously (in the non-traditional sense of the word, because we aren’t religious at all) have fish and chips on Good Friday. Of course, we would have fish and chips other times of the year but Good Friday, the beginning of the long weekend, we would all gather together and that was our special night- greasy hands, sore tummies but fantastic company.

Our family gathering fish and chip tradition bit by bit began to wane once my Nan and Grandpa, ten years apart, started spending Good Friday at that big fish and chip shop in the sky. But it seems wherever we were individually, without a doubt and without any religious conviction whatsoever we will hunt down an F&C feast on Good Friday no matter where I am in the world (and seeing as I have been overseas  for Easter the last two years, I have friends that can attest to being dragged around looking for them- sorry girls!)

Nowadays, I probably only have fish and chips on Good Friday, for two reasons. A) My body doesn’t really cope so well with all that grease anymore, and B) I’m a bit more of a food snob now and bit by bit that fried up piece of fish and soggy chips became a risk I would no longer take.

Cue Tommy Ruff’s Fish Bar in Elsternwick and Mordialloc, where this old meal has been made trendy for me again.

Tommy Ruff’s is fancy fish and cbips. Tommy Ruff’s is fish and chips for the foodies. And for families. And health freaks. And Sunday session-ers.

The versatile space is colourful, bright and inviting. It is ‘cool enough’ that I would go there for a few drinks and a feed with friends on a summer evening, particularly with its large outdoor area, but also casual enough that a family would feel comfortable there.

Food-wise, Tommy Ruff’s menu goes all the way from the humble potato cake to a seafood curry to grilled seafood skewers to fish tacos to super salad. It is a fish and chips menu that covers all the seafood bases possible, so that your die-hard traditional fish and chip fans are kept content and those who prefer their fish with a side of fancy or healthy can also happily enjoy a meal. We were well looked after by the super friendly staff there who genuinely seemed to love where they work. Whoever was in charge of the tunes was also making me happy, as I grooved away to some very cool 90’s hits over lunch.

Seafood feast fit for a foodie and friends

Amazing grilled scallop skewers- check out the size of those babies!

Panko crumbed fish burger on brioche- absolutely delightful.

Prawn taco

Sweet potato fries, garden salad, super salad, salt and pepper calamari and prawn tacos.

Who doesn’t love prawn tacos?

Salt and pepper calamari, sweet potato fries, garden salad

So for those of you who like your fish fresh and your venue trendy, this is worth a try. Cost-wise and food-wise, Tommy Ruff’s seems to cater for all kinds of seafood lovers.

I hope you have had a delicious week,

Foodie Melbourne

Please note: Foodie Melbourne dined as a guest at Tommy Ruff’s, but all opinions are genuine.

Sherry Season at Anada, Fitzroy

What did the word sherry mean to me just over a week ago? Sickly. Sweet. Syrupy. Probably not a cool drink. Old people like it. Old people drink it after dinner.

What did the word Anada mean to me just over a week ago? Love it. Amazing Spanish food. Evokes memories of Spanish holidays gone by. Feed me, feed me.

Well, last Wednesday night, when I was lucky enough to sit on a tiny media table with some other lovely foodies for Anada’s special ‘Sherry Season’ dinner for Sherry Week, my opinion on one of the above radically changed. Would you like to guess which it was?

Anada is still incredible. On my third visit, I still adored the food just as much as I did the very first time I visited two years ago. But hey, something I learnt last week- SHERRY IS COOL. It is not at all for old people to drink after dinner. It is something that I will now happily order at a bar, and will definitely ensure I get something similar to the divine sherries tasted from a range of regions in Spain.

 We began our sherry and Spanish food matched journey with an incredible little morsel called ‘Tortilla de camaron’, a crispy, crunchy tapas treat not at all dissimilar to a prawn cracker. As with all great foods, they have a story behind why they were created; as a way to cover the top of your booze (sherry perhaps) to keep the flies away. These were an absolutely perfect bar snack, something I know if allowed, I would accidentally devour a whole bowl of. Do not let these near me when I am intoxicated, ever! This was matched with a La Goya, ‘En Rama’ Manzanilla Magnum sherry from Sanlucar de Barrameda. We started off dry with the sherries, and these were probably what I found the easiest to drink seeing as I prefer dry white wine to sweet.

Next was the gorgeous eel brandade cigar, a very fancy looking pastry and the sea urchin montadito- more Spanish bar food that is just oh so easy to eat, especially when washed down with some Fino sherries from the Jerez region.

This was followed by my absolute favourite Spanish morsel, croquettes. These are my ultimate comfort food- if I am having a bad day. bring me a plate of these babies and I am happy. These ‘bunuelo de bacalao’, made with salt cod, were no exception to that rule. The gorgeous ‘calcote with romesco’, seared spring onions in a sweet tomato sauce was also great, but it was the ‘morcilla’ or blood sausage that impressed me the most having never tried it before and finding it surprisingly delicious. These tasty tapas were paired with Sanchez Romae Amontillado from Jerez, and a 35 year old version of the same sherry, and it was eye opening to see how much a drink could change in 35 years, though not surprising considering it is older than me!

  
Our main of Palo Cortado braised venison accompanied by beetroot ensalada was also comforting, rich and delicious, though different to the tapas I normally associate with Spanish cuisine. This was a heavy, winter dish with tender, gamey venison paired so well with the sweetness of the beetroot. These were matched with some Cayetano del Pino Almacesnista Palo Cortado sherries from Jerez aged both 15 years and 35 years.

 At this point we were given a choice to either move onto dessert or add in a cheese course, and of course we said yes to cheese. Seriously, what kind of fruit loop would ever say no to Manchego? This took me back to Barcelona so fast- the way food can evoke memories is one of my favourite things about eating. At this point we started moving towards some of the heavier, thicker sherries that are more like the ones I have encountered in the past.

 We ended on a delicious note with a pistachio cake with white chocolate and beetroot ganache with liquorice powder, the perfect cake paired with sweet sherry as it was almost savoury flavours.

Would I drink sherry again? Yes, absolutely. Would I order it at a bar? Yes, absolutely. Will I remember exactly what regions and types of sherry I liked the most on the spot? Probably not. But, luckily I will be able to bring up this blog post on my phone to remind myself and hope I can make a bartenders day by ordering something slightly different.

Would I recommend Anada? Every day. Now, someone bring me some croquettes, stat.

Thank you to Anada for letting me be a part of your #SherryWeek event.

Have a delicious weekend!

Foodie Melbourne

YOMG alllllllllllllllllllll the burgers!

A few weeks I finally got around to visiting YOMG in Glen Waverley after drooling all over their Instagram page for months now. It is a bit of a trip for me to travel out that way so I was happy to hear that Collective Curators was having their bloggers lunch there so I could attend. The CC girls called it a ‘Cheat Day’ but for me most days I am lucky enough to consume amazing food in some way so I went and pretended eating a burger and frozen yogurt was something really unusual for me but we all knew it wasn’t!

I loved the variety at YOMG. There was sooo much to choose from- fat beefy burgers and fried chicken burgers and pulled pork and some absolutely divine sounding vego options like a potato stack burger or a garlic pulled mushroom burger. I decided to keep it relatively simple but to add my own special twist to it- I went for the Yo My with cheese, and added pickles and a potato cake, just to make it extra ‘cheaty’ and lets face it, potato cakes were made to be in burgers (the same shape, duh!).

I was impressed with the burger. It was huge (great value) filled with a juicy beef patty, fresh ingredients, a crunchy potato cake and crisp pickles. The bun itself was also quality, something that is important to me- a soft brioche style bun but not as sweet as brioche.

We shared a few different types of fries amongst us. If you are a chip-lover, this is your kinda hangout as they dump all different kinds of yummies on top of hot, seasoned potato pieces. Choices range from feta and rosemary (my heart still belongs to Jimmy Grants or the Greek Food truck on this combo), Shang fry (pulled pork on chips- how can that ever be wrong?), Nacho (nacho good for your waist but pretty delicious) and American style. Honestly though, along with a burger and a shake, the chips were a bit too much for me and I prefer a burger with a smaller serve of simple fries so that the burger is always the main event.

And that leads me to the shake… Wow. I think a simple menu description will be enough- Salted Peanut Butter Caramel. Yep. I know. Some flavours were just made to dance with each other in a plastic cup with some frozen yogurt and sucked through a straw. I am normally not a shake kinda gal but give me anything with salted caramel and peanut butter and you will have me cooing like a baby.

I have to say after this feed I couldn’t even look at food for the rest of the day. Whether you are looking for a cheat day or a regular feed, I think even the biggest burger connoisseurs would find something that would tickle their fancy and if burgers aren’t your thing, plenty of dessert options too. It will definitely have you YOMG’ing!

Hoping you are having a delicious week,

Foodie Melbourne

Ain’t no party like a Chocolate Party (Xocolatl, Kew)

Note: I attended the Xocolatl party as a guest, but all opinions are my own. 

The title says it all; there ain’t no party like a Chocolate party. The beautiful Partsioglou family from Xocolatl, with stores in Kew and Canterbury, confirmed that for me and a friend last week when we were lucky enough to attend a small, intimate gathering of bloggers and friends to get a feel for what their chocolate dream is all about.

We were able to meet the family- Christos, Jenny, Maddy and Tina, all passionate chocolate makers and (self proclaimed) addicts. And lets face it, who better to make beautiful, couverture chocolate products than a family of chocoholics?

What I witnessed at Xocolatl is a business driven by passion, and a unique combination of tradition and innovation. Chatting to Christos during the night was such a highlight, with his expert knowledge on chocolate, and you could see his pride in having his daughters involved in the business and helping him make his products modern and innovative.

Not only did they share their products with us, but they also shared their knowledge. I walked away knowing a lot more about chocolate than I did before- I have now realized that cacao nibs are really called cocoa nibs, and that the cacao name is just trendier! Tina took us on a tour of the huge kitchen out the back where the chocolate is made and they run chocolate making classes. I was captivated by the 60 kg drum of liquid chocolate… tell me some days you wouldn’t feel like diving into that!

Throughout the night we were able to try many, many of their beautiful chocolate products… in fact, I had to be rolled to my car as I left in a chocolate coma. I was impressed by Tina’s gorgeous freshly baked cacao nib muffins, and parmesan and cocoa nib cookies (strange combination, but it worked!).

Perhaps the most thrilling part of the night was tasting their boutique individual bonbon chocolates with Christos. I was so surprised at the range of flavours available. The combinations reminded me more of a restaurant menu than a chocolate counter. The savoury chocolates were a very interesting and enjoyable take on chocolate, with flavours like gorgonzola and mango or goats cheese and peach. I mean really, cheese and chocolate, my two favourite ‘C’s… How could I not be impressed? My favourite was definitely the Peanut Butter Sizzle. This bonbon was like a party in your mouth- peanut butter with chocolate and the added excitement of toffee, salt and pepper. As well as tasting incredible, these chocolates look absolutely stunning and would make gorgeous gifts for your chocolate loving friends.

Jenny came around with trays full of their beautiful hot chocolate options, and we drank until we had to say stop, please, stop! My favourite was definitely the hazelnut hot chocolate. It was like liquid Nutella!

We were sent home with full bellies, happy hearts and a massive ‘party bag’ or box full of amazing treats which I have been sharing around my household this week. I highly recommend the freeze dried raspberries and strawberries. They remind me of healthy malteasers, and are highly addictive.

This gorgeous little family-run cafe will definitely be my go-to now for chocolates, particularly for gifts. One of my favourite things about food blogging is getting to meet people in the industry who are just so passionate about what they do and sharing the art of food with others. This establishment affirms that for me, as I felt I was being invited into the home of a family who truly love what they do and love sharing it with people… and lets face it, when you get to work with chocolate every day, how could you not love it!

I hope you had a (chocolately) delicious day,

Foodie Melbourne

A very Shakespearean evening at Morris Jones, Windsor

I was driving in the Yarra Valley with a fellow English teacher when I got an email from Morris Jones advertising their latest Food Society event, Story through Shakespeare. We immediately decided to go… Food and Shakespeare! Surely this has got to be an English teachers dream evening.

This was not my first time at Morris Jones. I ate there a couple of years ago just when Matthew Butcher was establishing his menu at the gorgeous Windsor warehouse, long before Foodie Melbourne was invented. This experience definitely inspired me to go back and see how the menu has progressed since then, as this Food Society event was a meal I will always remember.

Morris Jones holds a Food Society event every few months, but this was my first one. As a huge English nerd, I was so excited to see how Matthew Butcher and his cocktail accomplice, Sebastian Raeburn of Bacardi, would interpret these timeless plays on the plate. What they did manage to do was so visually exciting and delicious that I cannot wait to see what the Food Society comes up with next.

  
First course was ‘A Midsummers Nights Dream’. When we arrived, I commented to my friend how cute the table decorations were- gorgeous little terracotta pots filled with soil and baby carrots, and beautiful little glass jars holding a single flower. I was also intrigued by a plastic sachet of liquid and a small pair of scissors on the table. I was delighted when Matthew told us that first course was already on the table! Puck’s Flowerpot and Pansy Juice was so texturally interesting and tasted incredible- mushroom ‘dirt’ with pickled vegetables and a cream in the bottom of the pot, as we sipped on a cold soup that we poured ourselves from the plastic sachets. We were then handed a straw and drank from the vases on the table, a ‘Midsummer Blossom Sour’. Very creative!

 Second course was my favourite dish, the Butterfish Bloodbath. This dish was so simple, but the produce so beautiful that the flavours were quite complex… and it completely captured the bloodbath at the end of Macbeth. Butterfish served with a beetroot ‘blood’ sauce and asparagus. The accompanying cocktail was a red wine cocktail, the ‘Birnham Wood’.

This was followed by Hamlet’s Coq, a take on coq au vin using a spatchcock and served with cabbage, prunes and bacon. The sauce was the highlight of this dish… prunes and bacon, who would have thought? I really liked how Matthew had not only used the storylines of the plays for inspiration, but also the Elizabethan history, such as how the only chickens they ate back then were small ones, hence the spatchcock. The cocktail served with this dish was very aptly named ‘Mother’s Ruin’.

The dessert was equally as exciting as the mains. This was not your typical Death by Chocolate, as Romeo and Juliet are not killed by chocolate, but by passion! We sipped Rose Bubbles (chocolate flavoured champagne… take all my money! Amazing!) as we stabbed the chocolate with Juliet’s knife and watched the passionfruit pour out. Very delicious and interactive.

The evening became even more interactive when all of a sudden the lights came up and we looked to the balcony of the restaurant where Juliet was standing, and we were treated to a beautiful rendition of the balcony scene whilst we ate our dessert.

This evening was a classic example of food being more than just nourishment… It was food as art, food as theatre, food as an experience. I loved every minute and was absolutely in awe of how intelligent, creative and well thought out each and every dish was. Thank you to Matthew, Sebastian and the restaurant for giving two English teachers a thrill and an absolutely delicious meal. I strongly urge Melbournians to give one of these events a try… but only after I get my ticket. Hint: next up is Paleo. I hope to give a proper review of Morris Jones regular menu soon, there are definitely some exciting things happening in their kitchen!

I hope you had a delicious weekend!

Foodie Melbourne