Rockpool Melbourne

orange creme brulee

brussel sprouts in burnt butter

four taste of the sea sashimi

36 months aged rib eye on the bone wagyu beef

What better way to spend a significant day than having a wholesome meal at the world reknown Rockpool, Melborune.

Rockpool, Melbourne is located at Crown casino. There's also another one in Sydney located in The Rocks. Being well known for its signature waygu beef steak, I went in with rather high expectation.

The place is dimly lit, with tall wine racks adorning the walkway towards the main dining hall.High ceiling, dark wood wall panelling, the place looks absolutely wonderful and filled with elegance.All Tables were decorated with a table lamp, and the leather seats were amazingly comfortable.

Below is a little description of what we had

1) Four taste of the sea : appetizer portion, a bit small for sharing. the sashimi were very fresh

2) brussel sprouts: well flavoured, and portion went well as a side dish to wagyu beef

3) aged rib eye on the bone wagyu: we ordered "for two "portion. meat was amazingly succulent, juicy, cooked till medium rare. and serve with own choice of condiments. I had it with squeezes of lemon juice. D let out sighs of contentment everytime he chews his meat, It was amazingly satisfying.

4) creme brulee: orangy zest taste, very nicely caramelised. not too sweet, and the texture was soft.

5) portugal wine: somelier helped us with this, it went very well with the beef, dry and smooth.

customer service: absolutely amazing.

It was a great dining experience, and I absolutely love this place. Bill came to $174.50. A bit pricy but for world fine dining standard, and the fond memories. It's totallly worth it.

Rockpool Melbourne

walk in reservation is feasible, but prior reservations are highly recommended to avoid long waits.

for more info:www.rockpool.com

little crew's rating : worth five chef hat ratings!

McDonald breakfast

I know i shouldn't be writing about food all the time. but I really can't help it, as food is probably the biggest indulgence i have at this present time.

Just a little insight to my life, A very good friend of mine,D and I drive around Melbourne every sunday to source for the heartiest breakfast. However, recently, Since he started working on Sunday, We haven't had much time to wander around. a perfect example would be today, Kept in mind the fact that D is a bit unreliable when it comes to time, I've pre arranged a breakfast venue which is near his work place so that we could enjoy breakfast and coffee quickly before we disembark in our separate ways. As it turned out, Bistro D'Orsay is closed on sunday, and none of the restaurants nearby were opened.As we were pressed for time,  We had no choice but ended up in McDonalds.

McDonalds, is definitely a great place to grab a quick coffee, muffins ,burger and hash brown. Actually that said, I think it would only be a great fast food place in most of the asian countries, where Western breakfast is hard to get. In Melbourne, streets are filled with worthy cafes. 

Sadly to say however, My MacBreakfast was not a very emotionally fulfilling breakfast. The muffin is a bit too soft, too moist and crumbles too easily. The cappucino that I had was decent but it could have been better. The good thing about is is that it's everywhere. On the contrary, the quality is not as fine, 

little crew's rating: i'll leave that up to you. :)

Vue de monde

1950s coffee jug 
bouillabaisse 'en cinq minutes' et tartare d'ecrevisse 
5 minute bouillabaisse with tartare of crayfish, buffalo milk skin, finished with aromatic herbs and a touch of theatre.

consomme froid a la tomate 
delecated tomato consomme with gazpacho jelly.

tataki de boeuf wagyu 
tatki of Wagyu beef with soya yuzu noodle and sweet corn puree

asume bouche 
pea and jamon soup with a jamon tartare served with a confit quail yold on a lettuce raft.

Vue de monde , a french restaurant ,is probably one of the most highly talked about restaurant in Melbourne. Given that it's $250.00 per head for a degustation menu, I am really not surprised that the thought of eating a pair of jeans worth of food would linger in a person's mind for the next couple of days,or  perhaps years. My dining experience at Vue de Monde was an unforgettable one. It was embellished with understated luxury, great wine, delicious food and awesome company. The ambience was immaculate.

I was honoured to be invited to a good friend's 21st a while ago, and It was held at Vue de monde. Given that it was a private function, we were allocated in a rather cosy dining hall, fitted with modern furniture, and an attached bathroom. We were taken care of very greatly that night by the waiter. Our wish were their commands, that made the night ever more enjoyable. 

Before each dish were served, the waiter would introduce the dish in great details. not knowing much about gastronome, I was left staring into thin air. nevertheless, I knew the food was immaculately prepared. As they were all artfully crafted by the chef, it took me awhile to interpret the ingredients of dishes at times.I'm sorry but I'm really not someone who would look into fine details of food. especially when precious ingredients were finely sculptured. The fact that the ingredients were precious was already a great indicator that it's rarely to be seen on dinner plate, let alone finely sculptured food that makes it beyond recognition. on the flip side,The great thing about having a degustation menu, is perhaps the fact that wine is matched to accompany each course. I had such a good time enjoying all the different wines that I could hardly reach the door by the end of the night. 

I would strongly recommend Vue de monde as a place for catching up with friends, while enjoying great food. You are in there to get every pennies worth. 

Vue de Monde

430 little collin street

96913888

little crew's rating 19/20

Golden Monkey on Hardware lane

Hardware lane off Lonsdale street is a rather popular night spot in Melbourne. It's normally packed on Friday and Saturday. This little lane is swamped with good eateries and award winning pubs.It is however quite an experience for a first timer, It's one of those places where it's hard to get out without being roped by one of those very keen restaurant solicitors.

Golden monkey at the very end of the street is a must go place. It's won Australian Best pub of the year in 2007, and They have a very extensive list of beer, cocktails, tequilas ranging from $7.00-$24.oo. I absolutely love the fact that being the rather indecisive me when it comes to selecting cocktails, the bartender could artfully construct cocktails that go well with my mood at that particular time. 

Impressive drinks list aside,There are also plenty of reasons to be cheerful about Golden Monkey. Down a long flight of steps from Hardware Lane, The bar is a dimly lit cavern filled with Chinese wooden furnitures, and large red hanging shades and rice paper lanterns hanging off the ceiling, candles burning on low tables,and waitresses moving around dressed in themed outfits. Last night, they were all dressed in french maid costumes, which made the place looked absolutely stunning. 

give it a try this weekend at Golden Monkey. Be there a bit early to beat the queue. 

Golden Monkey 

389 Lonsdale Street

Phone: 96022055

Mart 130

poached egg, spinach, salmon, and hollandaise sauce on toast sourdough

scrambled egg and toasted sourdough

front view of Mart 130

Tram stop 130 is a fine food station. This is indeed my favourite spot for breakfast. My first visit there coincided with Formulae one Grand Prix 2008. As it overlooks the stadium, I enjoyed my breakfast that morning while listening to all the cars vrooming by...Marvellous. 

It's a rather small cafe with a back deck that overlooks Albert Park. There is not much space to move around in the place, but it is so cosy and warm there. Inside the mart, the shelves are stacked high with organic juices and all the free ranges goodies. Almost everything here is house-made. My personal favourite is their raspberry pie and Bircher Muesli $7 .Corn fritters is apparently a must have as well. 

and the great news is the food is on the cheap. House made baked beans with ham hock on sourdough toast ( excellent, well done toast), is under $9. Poached free range eggs with asparagus , mushrooms, hollandaise and chives, under $10. or pancakes with berries and lemon yoghurt , under $10. 

Coffee is absolutely amazing. 

Mart 130

107A Canterbury Road

Middle Park 

Telephone number : 9690 8831

My little crew rating: 19/20 

Movida- spanish restaurant

One of the things that I regret the most when I was in Barcelona was the fact that I did not get to visit a Tapas bar.Being a rather poor travelling student, chinese food was what we indulged in throughout the entire christmas holidays.I could still remember vividly that main streets of Barcelona are inundated with Tapas bar. 

Not knowing what a Tapas Bar serve, I visited Movida without expecting much. I remember walking out of the restaurant after that in amazement, wanting for more. Movida is situated in the heart of the City of Melbourne. its located in a small alley way off Flinders street. Being rated the best spanish restaurant in Melbourne, It was undoubtedly packed with people. It's a contemporary fine dining place. Tapas dishes came in small portions. So it would be great to go with a group of friends, and order a few tapas dishes to share.  This lunch did set me $50 back. 

1 Hosier Lane,

Melbourne

My little crew rating: 18/20