My Month in Food - October 2013

This month went flying.... I'm sure I've said the same thing for the last few months... but we're approaching christmas and I'm about to finish my degree! WOOHOO!!! Almost time to face the harsh reality and enter the real world.

We'll start off with some home cooking. I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to cooking..so the meals are not too flattering.

Dish One:

Asparagus, fish tofu, zucchini on a bed of rice.

Fish tofu goes well with peanut satay sauce.

Dish Two

Chicken sausages, sauteed onion and mushrooms + eggs and chives.

Dish Three

This is probably my proudest dish, I kinda chucked everything from the fridge in a bowl.

I'm gonna name it vegetarian puff pastry. I'll put up the recipe at some point (when I make it again)
This really exceeded my expectation! (minus the relatively burnt crust)

Mushroom, ricotta and spinach filling. Went really well with BBQ sauce.

Dish Three:

Cheesy Potato Bake!!!! First time I've ever made it... will be making this more often. nomnomnom

Put the puff pastry and potato bake on the same plate with some baby beetroot, purple lettuce, cucumber and ricotta salad topped with truffle oil dressing... and you get dinner!

Dish Four

Mash potatoes, pan fried egg plant, tomatoes and Kewpie Mayo!

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Now onto restaurant/takeaway goods

Cafe 41

My partner and I are regulars at Cafe 41.


This time we got their Mediterranean Pizza (Approx $16) - Olives, eggplant, tomatoes, cheese, and mushrooms.

Can't say this was my favourite combination, although it did taste much much better when it was cold! Do try their Hawaiian - all time favourite!

Manmaruya Restaurant 

I can't help but to drop by for a cheap bento every time I'm in the area. We got a tempura bento approx $12

Grill'd

Grill'd is a burger joint that promise to provide burgers using the finest ingredients. Their cows are 100% grass fed and hormone free, needless to say, their chickens are free range too.

I first came across this joint when walking past World Square, took one look at the menu and though it was too expensive and opt for a cheaper alternative.

Finally decided to pop in..... the burger blew my mind. It was one of the best beef burgers I've ever had. It was SO tender and flavoursome!

I got the Almighty burger $13.50 - grilled grass fed beef, cheese, bacon, free range egg, a couple of slices of beetroot with salad, relish and herb mayo.

Regular thick cut chips with grill'd herb mix - $3.50

Pepper Lunch

If I had a dollar for every time I went past pepper lunch, I'd be pretty wealthy.

Pepper lunch uses iron dish and heating generation technology so customers can cook their own meals. The iron dish can heat up to 260 degrees within a minute and last for up over 15 minutes. A very unique concept.

I got the original Steak Pepper - Approx $12.

If you dislike pepper, I'd suggest you to stay away from this restaurant. The dish was REALLY PEPPERY!

Steak wasn't too bad either. It was really novel cooking my own steak at the table.

My partner got the Unagi (grilled eel) bowl with egg and steamed vegies (approx $10). I highly recommend everyone to steer away from their non-iron bowl meals. It really defeats the purpose of going to Pepper Lunch .. and I've had MUCH better Unagi!

City Extra

City Extra was the place to go if you get stuck in the city at 3am and need a place to eat. This joint is open 24/7.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'd go back ... again.

I got Grandma's Apple Crumble ($12.50) -  Cinnamon, apples, walnut, coconut and treacle crumble with ice cream. Looks pretty good right....?

TASTES LIKE CRAP.

The apples were literally drowning in cinnamon water. I would rather spend $5 and get Nanna's Apple Crumble from Coles.

 

My partner got a small Fish and Chips basket  approx $20.

Needless to say... tiny portion for a hefty price tag. The chips were not crispy and the fish was... "meh".

My friend got Hot Scones $5.80

Probably the only thing really worth getting out of the three/whole menu. The scones were quite average and not fluffy.

Bread Top

Yup, this is a cake!

 

Hong Kong Noodle Cruisine

 Sweet and Sour Pork (Approx $12) - nomnomnom

Seafood and fried noodle (Approx $14)

Mother Crepe

Bought a voucher from Groupon, paid $4 for the two, they were initially $5 each...

Ferrero Roche Sundae - Quite nice, very small. Wouldn't pay $5 for it though..... I liked how they used corn flakes.

White chocolate and Banana crepe - Again... would definitely NOT pay $5. We got a quarter of a banana and about 4 tiny white chocolate buttons. Great idea though.

Ramen Kan

We LOVE your $3 entrees.

Samon Sashimi $3

 

 Vegetable Gyoza $3

 

 Soft Shelled Crab Miso Soup $3 - Recommended

Tonkotsu Ramen $10.90 
What happened Ramen Kan??! This was awful. The broth was watery and very salty. The pork was tender though.... BUT THE BROTH!!!! It's such a crucial part of Ramen. This is pushing me to seek out other Ramen sites in the city.

Anyone been to Ramen Kan lately? Thoughts?

85 Degrees Bakery

Great place to go for a night snack or dessert/drink.

We got the Strawberry Bubble.

Essentially strawberry mousse with chiffon. 

My partner introduced me to Sea Salt Green Tea ---- the flavour was very very interesting. The more you drink it, the more you like it. I recommend you to give it a go!