Category: Food and Drinks Review

Melbourne Food Guide – Sweet Delights

The main cause of my weight gain but it was well worth it. There are plenty of places in Melbourne to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here are some of my favourites.

Suga @ Royal Arcade, Bourke Street, Melbourne

Suga was also one of the places that I wanted to visit for this trip. Suga is well known for its rock candies which come in various flavours.

The rock candies at Suga comes in a few layers and have all sorts of designs embedded on the front. For example, pineapple flavour would have a pineapple logo in it.

The candies are made in front of everyone and usually you will find a crowd standing in front of the shop to see the process.

[Note: you can get something equivalent in 1 Utama now]

Address
Royal Arcade,
Melbourne VIC 3000,
Australia
Tel: (03) 9663 5654‎

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Il Dolce Freddo @ Lygon Street

Some people has claimed that Il Dolce Freddo serves the best gelato in Melbourne. Located at Lygon Street, this place is usually packed with people.

Durian gelato is famous here. However, I am not a big fan of durian hence I didn’t try it. Instead I had cookies and cream which tasted not bad 😀

Address
116 Lygon St
Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Tel: (03) 9639 3344

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Little Cupcakes @ Degraves Street

Degraves Street is a small lane between Flinders Street and Collins Street. It even has its own Wikipedia page.

In this little lane, we found one shop selling cupcakes by the name Little Cupcakes. As its name suggest, it’s a small shop selling small cupcakes.

We bought a piece of cookie and cream cupcake and also a piece of Belgian Chocolate cupcakes. They were very moist and rich in chocolate! Absolutely great!

I’m not a big fan of cupcakes as they are too sweet for me. However, the cupcakes at Little Cupcakes take the cake as it is not too sweet.

Price is a little bit steep though. A piece was $2.20. Nevertheless, its a price worth paying for such scrumptious delight.

Address
7 Degraves St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9077 0413
Website: www.littlecupcakes.com.au‎

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Koko Black Chocolate @ Royal Arcade, Bourke Street, Melbourne

Koko Black Chocolate is just a few doors away from Suga. It is a small cafe cum outlet selling high quality chocolate.

Gavin recommended that I try their hot chocolate here but since the weather was slightly hot, I had a glass of iced chocolate instead. It came with 2 scoops of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and also chocolate flakes. It tasted really good. Very rich and obviously very fattening. Made me feel like doing 100 burpees immediately ala Yakitate! style.

Also at Koko Black, you can buy premium chocolates back home. I bought some snowman chocolates back home 😀

Address
Shop 4 Royal Arcade
335 Bourke Street
Melbourne 3000
Australia

Website: www.kokoblack.com

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Melbourne Food Guide

This food guide will be separated into 3 sections and is based on the good places that my friends brought me to eat. Feel free to add other places.

A1 Cafe @ Russell Street, Melbourne

One of the first things that I wanted to eat when I arrive in Melbourne was A1’s egg chiffon duck rice. I used to have lunch at A1 almost everyday when I was in Melbourne in 2002. I missed it since then!

On my 2nd day in Melbourne, Gavin joined us for lunch. He said he usually have A1’s cheese baked rice which according to him, taste good. But this time round, he decided to try chiffon egg rice for the first time.

The chiffon egg covers the entire plate. It also comes with a bowl of sweet soya sauce. The portion is huge and it usually takes a fatty to sweep the entire plate clean. Gavin cleaned his plate and half of my plate as well. Fatty Power!

Address
191 Russell St
Melbourne VIC 3000

Tel: (03) 9639 2999

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Andrew’s Hamburgers @ Melbourne

Andrew’s Hamburgers is an award winning hamburger restaurant in Melbourne. It had been awarded with numerous awards for best food and also frequented by celebrities.

Due to its popularity, burgers may run out early thus it is advisable to turn up earlier. I was lucky to be there at 830pm and served with a egg bacon cheeseburger. It also comes with pieces of fried onion and also fresh tomato. It was absolutely scrumptious!

Address
144 Bridport St
Albert Park VIC 3206
Tel: (03) 9690 2126

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Sushi Monger @ Causeway St

When I first arrive in Melbourne, Wei Chen brought me to this small Japanese restaurant for lunch and also to meet Lynnzter, who had migrated to Melbourne few years ago.

This small restaurant has only a few seats and pack during lunch time. We were fortunate to grab a seat outside. Food must be ordered from the counter. Price is cheap, very economical for poor travellers like me.

Salmon Chirashi rice is good. 3 rolls of Sushi, which comes with miso soap, is good as well. You can choose the sushi that you want from the display counter.

Lunch crowd is massive. Hence try to be there early or after lunch time.

Address
309-325 Bourke St
Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Tel: (03) 9663 0899

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Hutong Dumpling Bar @ Market Lane

Dumplings are highly popular with Asians and Caucasians alike. For me, dumplings usually serve as a side dish for me but at Hutong Dumpling Bar, our brunch was nothing but dumplings.

According to Wei Chen, dumplings at Hutong Dumpling Bar is one of the best in the city (No relation to Hutong @ Tsim Tsa Tsui)

We ordered Shao-long pao, boiled pork dumplings, spicy dumplings, and also pan fried dumplings.

Shao-long pao (its spelled like this in the menu) comes with a small piece of meat wrapped with steamed flour skin. Inside the wrapping, there is a small amount of soup. To me, it looks like a sack of nut.


A sack of nut

To eat it, nibble the top part of the dumpling and then suck the savoury soup off the dumpling and then eat the skin and meat. Its like trying to suck a sack of nut.

The pork dumpling unexpectedly comes with a small amount of soup in it. Quite tasty.


Pan fried dumpling is quite unique as it comes intact through a thin slice of fried dough.

I read from some websites that their service is crap. It was ok for me when I was there. Chinese restaurants (especially those in Chinatowns) are well known for its terrible services. Word of advice, just take it if you don’t want your food to taste a little bit ‘saltier’.

Address:
14-16 Market Lane,
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9650 8128 (Book before going as they may have a long queue to get in)

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Chong Kok Kopitiam @ Klang

When I was tasked to attend Court in Klang, my first query was ‘where to have breakfast?’.

My colleague recommended me to this place by the name ‘Chong Kok Kopitiam’, which is just a stone throw away from Klang Sessions and Magistrate Court.

Speaking about the Klang Sessions and Magistrate Courts, it is located on top of a hill. Parking along the hill is limited and if you’re late, you have to park at the foothill and hike up. I was late and had to hike up the hill. I was cursing, ‘cheeebyee why did they build a Court up a hill!!!!’.

However, the Court was quite interesting. It was built in the 1960s and it doesn’t seem to have changed much from then. It was like walking into a museum. Further, the walk down the hill was really pleasant as I could see a panoramic view of Klang from the top.

Anyway, back to Chong Kok Kopitiam, I had my usual breakfast set, coffee, half boiled eggs, steamed bread and also tried out their sotong (cuttlefish) nasi lemak.

Steamed brad and nasi lemak were highly recommended by some bloggers.

Their coffee was really nice. Thick and aromatic with a fair amount of condensed milk. Stir condensed milk to set the level of sweetness.

However, their famed steamed bread was a bit overrated. It’s not soft and it tasted a bit gingerly. Pappa Rich beats them hands down.

As for their nasi lemak, it was a little bit too spicy for me. The way it was served was a little bit unhygienic as well. It had flies all over the store and the lady uses her bare hands to serve the side dishes.

Overall, if its not for the atmosphere and coffee, I would rate this place lowly. However, its a good place to have breakfast if you’re in Klang Sessions and Magistrate Courts.

Also, be careful where you park. The bloody Klang Municipal Council workers are like ninjas. They summoned my car for illegal parking without me realising it!! Fml!!

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Address
No 5,
Jalan Stesen,
41000 Klang.
(opposite Klang KTM Station)

Wing Wah Noodle Shop @ Wan Chai, Hong Kong

[Last entry on Hong Kong!]

Throughout my stay in Hong Kong, it was almost hotel food from morning till night. Fortunately, on my last day, I managed to venture out to try all those yummy Hong Kong food everyone has been talking about.

Wing Wah Noodle Shop was a place that my colleague and I found by chance. We were walking along Hennessy Road in Wan Chai to look for food when we saw Wing Wah. It had newspaper cutting featuring their restaurant at their front door hence we thought this place would be good.

There was also a small article outside the restaurant saying that Wing Wah is listed as one of the Hong Kong Michelin Guide Budget Restaurant for 2009 for their culinary expertise in noodles and desserts. It was definitely worth a try.

I ordered a bowl of dried beef Wan Tan Mee while my colleague ordered the roasted pork dried Wan Tan Mee. Although called ‘dried’ noodles, it came in a small bowl filled with soup. It was small like McDonald’s Kid’s Happy Meal!

Nevertheless, the meal was tasty. The noodles was springy and the soup was unique. No wonder they were voted one of the best.

Also, if you’re around the area, drop by Aida Food Stall to try their Kai Tan Peng (literally means Egg Biscuits). Hard from the outside but soft in the inside.

However, you may want to avoid other foodstuff there. Read some reviews and they say that Ada’s food sucked.

Also not forgetting a stall nearby selling good egg tarts!

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Address
Wing Wah Noodle Shop (永华面家)
G/F 89 Hennessy Road
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel: 2527 7476
(Within walking distance from Wan Chai train station)
Opening Hour: 10:00am -11:00pm

Related Links
Tasting Hong Kong – Wing Wah Noodle Shop

Wan Tan Mee @ Hung Kee Restaurant @ Jalan Loke Yew

I had to pick up a dress for a friend from a bridal shop along Jalan Loke Yew few months ago. When I arrived the dress wasn’t ready and the staff asked me to come back in 15 minutes. Instead of waiting in the shop, I decided to have lunch nearby. When I asked the staff for a good place to eat, they immediately recommended Restaurant Hung Kee.

Before going to the restaurant, I did some research on my Blackberry to read other bloggers’ recommendations. Most of them raved about it being very good. Hung Kee was no doubt my no. 1 option at that time.

According to a feedmelah.com, the restaurant started in the mid 1960s. The interior of the restaurant does feel nostalgic.


Even the surroundings feel nostalgic. So many old people around somemore.

The restaurant consists of 2 shops – one of them is air conditioned.

A lady came to take my order and when I asked for recommendation, she said I can have a mixture of roast pork, chicken or duck and also mushroom chicken feet. I opted for the chicken feet.

My meal came up to RM7.50, quite expensive for a wan tan mee plus 2 pieces of chicken feet and mushrooms. The noodles was good but nothing to shout about. There was no orgasmic feel eating the blardi wan tan mee.

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Satay Babi @ Plus plus Setapak Restaurant, Wangsa Maju

I must say the satay babi @ Plus plus Setapak Restaurant is bloody fking awesome.

Satay babi is basically barbecued pork served on wooden skewers and it is quite rare in Malaysia as satay, which is traditionally a Malay cuisine, is generally served in either beef or chicken. There is one shop nearby Jonker Street, Melaka that serves satay babi.

However, this satay babi is different. It comes with tender soft pieces of sweet barbecued pork. Mostly meat, I cant remember whether it has any layer of fats.

To complement the satay babi, 2 types of sauces are given namely black pepper sauce and also sourish chilli sauce. Notwithstanding these yummy sauces, the satay babi is nice on its own.

The stall that sells satay babi is a small stall mannered by an Indian man and a lady (presumably Indonesian). It is a small stall located outside Plus plus Setapak Restaurant and it doesn’t have any signage or trade name. The restaurant is just a stone throw away from Mad Monkeyz Climbing Gym. It’s a good place to eat after climbing 😀

Address
No. 7, Jln Metro Wangsa,
53300 Kuala Lumpur,
Kuala Lumpur

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[Edit: October 2012: Unfortunately, Satay Babi @ Plus plus Setapak Restaurant is no longer operating anymore 🙁 )

Restauran Khalifah @ Seksyen 3, Shah Alam

Few years ago, fellow legal aid mate, Linn brought me to this place for breakfast. I could still remember that we were supposed to go to Shah Alam court but decided to have breakfast together. Linn highly recommended that I try their roti sardine. I must say it is one of the best I tried!


The roti is generously filled with sardine covered with a layer of crispy roti. I would usually devour the crispy roti before attacking the sardine.

Their dal curry is not the watery type of dal but a thick one. If you are lucky, you may get pieces of lamb in it!

The only part I dislike is the left over chillies. However, if you’re lucky, you may find the Hitler cat waiting by the side for your chillies.


He seems to like it.

Unfortunately, their coffee doesn’t taste good at all. Its always too sweet for me. The worker gets pissed if you complain so better personally see the drinks maker to sort out your drinks to avoid them adding ‘additional’ flavour.

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Restoran O & S @ Taman Paramount

Restaurant O & S is another treasure trove of yummy hawker food.

The place is located in a corner shop next to Caltex petrol station in Taman Paramount.

On Hari Raya break, the xes.cx makan team made a trip to the place for lunch. It was packed with people. It was so packed until we had to wait for an empty table.


Check out their dish washing system. Communal dish washing area 😀

When this place was suggested to me, I immediately did a google search to see the recommended food.

My first hit was a blog post recommending its Penang prawn noodles. It was dubbed as the best prawn noodles in town.


However, it was just so-so. The one behind Restaurant Yut Kee is so much better. It is served with pieces of mutton in it. However, I think Timothy Tiah didn’t like it as he found a bug in his bowl. Nevertheless, NO BUGS CAN STOP ME FROM MY MEAL!!

Anyway, O&S’s Assam Laksa is commendable. The soup is sweet and not spicy. Good for people like me who can’t take spicy stuff a lot.

The best meals which tasted best so far are chee cheung fun and pork noodles.


Their chee cheung fun is served with prawn paste! Other than prawn paste, you can try chicken curry.


Pork noodles is served with generous servings of minced pork.

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Restoran Sai Toh Lim @ Butterworth

After our trip to Penang, we dropped by Butterworth for lunch. I didn’t know what is good there hence I googled “Butterworth Food” and I got Restoran Sai Toh Lim as my first result.

Without hesitation, we made our way to Restoran Sai Toh Lim for its kuay teow soup.

The restaurant is made out of 2 shoplots. Business must be good for them to sustain 2 shoplots.

We first ordered the kuay teow soup.

A friend, who is a Butterworth native, dropped by and said that we should have eaten the dry version of the kuay teow as it taste better. Without hesitation, I ordered the dried version of kuay teow!


It was indeed better!

There is another version of kuay teow soup which has prawn noodles soup base. Unfortunately, they ran out of it that day. Damn, I would have ate 3 bowls if they have it!

Address
Restoran Sai Toh Lim,
Lorong Ceri 7,
Off Jalan Raja Uda,
12300 Butterworth, Penang, MALAYSIA

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Trip to Penang – Heng Huat Cafe @ Lorong Selamat

A trip to Penang wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Lorong Selamat to have char kuew teoy made by a grumpy old lady with ultra cool glasses.

It is well known that the lady boss is not a friendly person but yet customers still flock to eat her char kuey teow.

When I first ordered my char kuey teow, the lady boss screamed, ‘ you have to wait very long!!!’.

They no speaking England so I is has to speak in Cantonese mix with some Mandarin and the lau aunty can listen.

While waiting, I ordered a nice bowl of ais kacang. Tasted moderately ok.

A on the other hand ordered almond tea. Its made of almond and white in colour. If you like almond, you’ll probably enjoy it. But if you don’t, the drink taste like crap.

After waiting half an hour, my char kuew teo came. I’m not a big fan of char kuew teo but I must say the char kuew teow is not bad. I would probably give it an A- for taste.


Hugeeeeee fan

If the grumpy old lady or his minions pissed you big time and you don’t want to eat her char kuew teow anymore, you can walk to another shop which also serves char kuew teow with the same type of setup.


Does the glasses look familiar?

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