Night Noodle Markets 2015

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Birrarung Marr

This year at the night noodle markets there are some new stalls and some oldies. I have literally been everyday this weekend because there is so much amazing food in the one place and so why not. I couldn’t possibly have eaten everything in one day but I certainly wanted to. I dragged people out on Friday after work, went with my family on the Saturday and pulled some friends together for a Sunday session. Each time was as drool worthy as the last. So much deliciousness in one spot.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Poklol – Purple chinese lanterns

The pretty lanterns. Purple this year.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Hoy Pinoy – BBQ skewers

These skewers are great to start with. Hoy Pinoy serve Phillipino BBQ and they do it well. They have a big charcoal bbq area where they cook bbq chicken and pork belly skewers and whole roasted pig (lechon). The pork belly skewers with banana ketchup are my fave. They are juicy and have that charcoal flavour, marinated in a sweet sauce. Delish.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Delhi Streets – Pani Puri

Delhi streets had their pani puri on the menu, which is one of my fave dishes from their restaurant. They are little lentil crispy puffs filled with chickpeas, tamarind chutney, yoghurt and herbs and spices. The way to eat them is to pour the spiced water half way and then eat the puff in one mouthful. It’s spicy and sour and crunchy and soft and fresh all at the same time. They are amazing.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Red spice road – 5 spice pork belly w chilli caramel

Red Spice Road do an awesome pork belly. Squares of crispy five spice pork belly with sweet and sticky chilli caramel. It’s served with a fresh asian slaw. Delish.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Charlie dumpling – Chicken and goji dumplings

At Charlie Dumpling we had the chicken and goji dumplings w spiced black vinegar caramel. They were tasty, the skin was thin and soft and the filling had lots of flavour. They were nice.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Lady carolina – The nikkei dog

Lady Carolina is one of the new comers and they had a Nikkei dog, which is like a hot dog with a Japanese twist. It was tasty, the Wood BBQ Huachana sausage was spicy and the bread was soft. It was topped with nori, French fries for crunch and Amarillo salsa (like a chilli sauce). It was yum.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Mantou – 5 spice soft-shell crab w sriracha mayo and fried mantou

We had the soft-shell crab from Mantou which was five spice battered soft-shell crab with sriracha mayo and deep-fried mantou. Mantou is a small sweet bun that is soft and fluffy and crispy on the outside. It is generally used to soak up all the juices of the meal.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Wall of chinese lucky cats 

A whole wall of the Chinese lucky cats.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Wonderbao – Three mushroom, tofu and veg fried bao 

At wonderbao we had the fried bao filled with three types of mushroom, tofu and vegies. It was tasty, they make delicious baos that are soft and fluffy. A good vegetarian option. Yum.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Overdosa – lentil poppers 

Another veg/vegan GF option is the lentil poppers from Overdosa. They are little bite-sized balls made of lentils and fried. It comes with a lovely tamarind and date chutney. They also make dosa of coursa.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Chilli tuckshop – Pumpkin and ginger noodle balls w green sriracha sauce

We tried the pumpkin and ginger noodle balls at Chilli Tuckshop and they were delicious. They had deep-fried crispy noodle on the outside and soft cooked noodle in the middle. They were flavoursome and pumpkin and ginger is a great combo. They had a bottle of green sriracha sauce that I hadn’t tried before. It was hot and had a sourness to it. It went perfectly with the noodle balls. Delish.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Poklol – Chichi fries w spicy bbq pork 

At Poklol we had the chichi fries which was crunchy potato fries with spicy pork bulgogi, kimchi and kewpie mayo. It was tasty but definitely a dish to share, it was quite filling.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Hawker hall beef rendang and Chin chin pork slider

Hawker hall stands beside its renowned sister counterparts Chin Chin and Kong as a new addition to the Ben Cooper area. They serve a Malaysian beef rending which is a signature dish at the newly opened restaurant. And it is extraordinary. The flavours are intense, in your face and complex, absolutely sensational. The meat is slow cooked and falling apart and it’s topped with toasted coconut, which adds freshness and texture and all of that delciousness is sitting on a bed of fluffy rice. Definitely one of my faves at the night noodle markets this year.

The Chin Chin pulled pork slider has been around since the dawn of night noodle markets and it’s delicious. It’s a little bun filled with pulled pork, slaw, pickled cucumber and sriracha mayo. It has the perfect balance of flavour and freshness and is a good little snack.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Mr. Miyagi – Nori taco w tempura soft-shell crab and curried mayo

Mr. Miyagi has a range of nori tacos available as well as their popular MFC (miyagi fried chicken). We had the soft-shell crab nori taco, which had a light tempura batter and a zingy curried mayo sauce with crispy garlic on top of sushi rice in a nori shell.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Mr. Miyagi – Nori taco w grilled salmon

The nori taco shell holds together really well. It is covered in tempura batter and fried and doesn’t break and fall to pieces when you bite it. We also had the grilled salmon one, which had chunks of beautifully grilled salmon with kim chi, Japanese mayo and chilli oil on sushi rice. Super delicious.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Entrance to the whisky bar

The entrance to the whisky bar was whimsical and had a nice set-up.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Singleton maple whisky and momofuku milkbar cookie

They were serving Singleton maple whisky, which I hadn’t tried before, it was sweet and it came with a yummy momofuku maple cookie. Winning!

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – The brulee cart – Salted caramel and ginger creme brulee

From the brulee cart we had the salted caramel and ginger crème brulee with sesame caramel popcorn and pistachios on top. The custard was thick and eggy and it had a crispy bruleed top.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Sugar Prawn x Luxbite lime in a coconut

The Sugar Prawn x Luxbite creation was great. Firstly it was served in an actual coconut, wow. Then there was a refreshing coconut & lime sorbet sitting on top of sticky rice and caramel. It had peanuts on top, a chocolate covered pocky stick and a mini Luxbite salted caramel macaron. It was full of surprises and fun to eat.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Harajuku Gyoza – Banana and nutella gyoza w vanilla icecream

At Harajuku Gyoza they had fried gyoza filled with banana and nutella. They were yummy little sweet dumplings served with vanilla icecream.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Gelato Messina – Bao chikka bao bao

Every year Gelato Messina come up with new creations for the night noodle markets. This year they had fried gua baos, which were almost like fried doughnuts with the fluffy bao centre filled with gelato, dipped in chocolate. I love the names they come up with too. This was the bao chikka bao bao, which was a deep fried gua bao filled with peanut gelato, dipped in milk chocolate sauce and rolled in crushed peanuts.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Gelato Messina – David Bao-wy

We also tried the David Bao-wy, which was a deep fried gua bao filled with salted coconut sorbet, dipped in white chocolate mango ganache and rolled in crushed cashews. Delish.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Gelato Messina – Deep fried ice cream ball

The deep fried ice cream balls were filled with thai custard gelato and were sitting in ‘messina tinned fruit salad.’ There was chocolate and salted caramel sauce to put on top.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Gelato Messina – Gold bullion bar

They also had a gold bullion bar, which was layers of gulamalaka gelato, condensed milk gelato, passion fruit jelly, a nut crunch, and banana bread.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Black star pastry x N2 gelato – Stawberry and watermelon cake

Black star pastry is from Sydney and when I heard they were bringing their famous strawberry and watermelon cake to the night noodle markets in Melbourne I was super excited. I had high expectations and it delivered. It was delicious. It had flavours of strawberry, watermelon, cream and rose. It was delicate and the fresh watermelon pieces were refreshing. It was a beautiful cake.

Melbourne Night Noodle Market 2015 – Black star pastry x N2 Gelato – Cake smash

So since I liked the cake so much I tried the cake smash too, which was a Black star pastry x N2 gelato creation. Basically it’s the strawberry and watermelon cake in a gelato version. It was delish.

They have bars around the place to grab a beverage alcoholic or non. Although my mum really wanted a can of coca cola and there was none to be found. I’m happy that this festival goes for a couple of weeks because there is so many great food stalls. It’s a great space to hang out, bring the people you love and be surrounded by lots of amazing food.

I heart the night noodle markets!

Olives x

The Age Good Food Night Noodle Markets 2015
Event dates: 12^th November – 29^th November 2015
Address: Birrarung Marr, Melbourne (behind Federation square)
Website: http://melbourne.goodfoodmonth.com/noodlemarkets
Trading hours: Mon-Wed: 5pm-9pm, Thu-Fri: 5pm-11pm, Sat: 2pm-10pm, Sun: 2pm-9pm

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Lee Ho Fook

Lee Ho Fook – Street view

Lee Ho Fook is a modern Chinese restaurant that is still fairly new to the city, it’s been open for about 7 weeks. It was formerly a restaurant in Collingwood but has moved to duckboard place off Flinders lane in Melbourne. They serve Chinese food but it’s not your special fried rice, honey chicken kind of place (hehe) it’s a modern take on Chinese food and flavours. They play around with traditional flavours and come up with creative ways to express Chinese cuisine.

Lee Ho Fook – Venue

The dining space is classy and relaxed. They have exposed brick walls and contemporary style lighting. A really nice atmosphere.

Lee Ho Fook – Tea egg w avruga and dill

The tea egg with avruga and dill was interesting. The outside of the egg was darkened by the tea and had a subtle tea flavour. The yolk was soft and sticky, the avruga caviar was salty and had a nice texture and it was topped with a miniature sprig of fresh dill.

Lee Ho Fook – Scallop & silken tofu w soy butter and crispy garlic

The scallop was chopped into chunks aside squares of silken tofu and had a warm soy butter with crispy garlic poured over.

Lee Ho Fook – Oyster w ginger dressing & wasabi

The raw pacific oysters came with a ginger dressing and a little bit of wasabi. Amongst the fresh oyster sea taste was that hum of heat from the ginger and wasabi.

Lee Ho Fook – Black fungi w aged black vinegar

The black fungi and aged black vinegar was simple and wonderful. It had that silky texture and rich black vinegar flavour.

Lee Ho Fook – Corn w fermented chilli and lime

The fried sweet corn looked great. They were curled rows of corn off the cob that were sprinkled with a salted fermented chilli dust.

Lee Ho Fook – Chinizza

Lee Ho Fook’s all famous ‘chinizza’ was amazing as expected. What the hell is a chinizza? A Chinese pizza duh! This Chinese spring onion pancake pizza creation was incredible. It was a fried pizza base with a generous amount of thinly sliced spring onion with torn pieces of mozzarella spread across the top. Yumness.

Lee Ho Fook – Crispy eggplant w red vinegar

The crispy eggplant was delicious, they were like chips but Asian eggplant stlyle. They had a really crunchy crispy outside and were soft in the centre. They were dressed in a sticky spiced red vinegar sauce.

Lee Ho Fook – Pork belly w fennel, mustard and chilli oil

I love pork belly but I hadn’t had it this way before. It was cold thinly sliced pieces of pork belly (sort of like a platter of cold shaved meat) accompanied by pickled fennel, mustard and chilli oil. Perfect flavours to accompany the pork. I enjoyed this heaps.

Lee Ho Fook – Cabbage salad

The cabbage salad was fun with a range of textures. It had crispy deep fried bits of cabbage on top and sautéed cabbage underneath flavoured with dried Szechuan chilli and black peppercorns.

Lee Ho Fook – Duck w miso and red vinegar

The duck was cooked to perfection. Thinly sliced and tender and pink in the middle. It had a miso and red vinegar sauce smeared around one side of the plate which complimented it well. And then it was accompanied by super thin slices of nashi with green Szechuan. The chilli nashi was insanely good. It was fresh and cool but hot with chilli at the same time. Love.

Lee Ho Fook – Chinese brocolli w oyster sauce and garlic oil

The steamed gailan (chinese broccoli) was yum, it was presented with the long stems placed along the edge of the bowl with their oyster sauce and crispy garlic swirled in the middle.

Lee Ho Fook – Chocolate brownie w egg custard ice cream

These chocolate brownies had an Asian twist. It was rich gooey crumbly brownie paired with egg custard ice-cream and topped with wispy pieces of egg floss. Yum.

Lee Ho Fook – Coconut mousse w corn ice cream

The coconut mousse was light and delicate and the corn icecream was lovely and smooth. The two subtle flavours went well together.

Lee Ho Fook – Green apple and amaretto jelly w apple granita

The apple Amaretto jelly had an apple granita on top. It was bitter, sweet and sour. A light refreshing dessert.

Lee Ho Fook – Jasmine tea infused custard w burnt caramel

The Jasmine tea infused custard w burnt caramel was remarkable. It was like a thick custard flan with a prominent Jasmine tea flavour with a burnt caramel sauce, which had a beautiful bitterness to it. My fave dessert.

They do two-hour session times for dinner so it’s good to make a booking. The staff were lovely and the food was delish. The menu is mainly share plates so you can order a bunch of things and share, which is great. They also have a great wine selection.

Lee Ho Fook – Pretty artwork

As we walked out, this painting was on the wall. It gave me happy vibes…loved it.

I heart Lee Ho Fook!

Olives x

Lee Ho Fook
Address: 11-15 Duckboard Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 03 9077 6261
Website: leehofook.com.au/
Trading Hours: Tue-Sat: 6pm-11pm Mon-Sun: closed

Rice Paper Scissors

Rice Paper Scissors – Street view

Rice paper scissors is a cool hawker-style dining space where they serve a range of tasty dishes inspired by South East Asia. Sort of like Asian tapas, there are individual pieces for each person served in share-plates. We had the banquet where you choose 5 dishes from the menu. And then we added dessert of course. The food is amazing and the staff are lovely too.

Rice Paper Scissors – Venue

It is a small space but it is used well. There are tables along the bar and bigger tables on the side for larger groups. There are some tables out the front, which is perfect for a sunny day.

Rice Paper Scissors – Decor

It has an arty vibe with the brick walls, Asian inspired artwork and a bicycle hung on the wall with greenery flowing out of its basket.

Rice Paper Scissors – Refreshing crush drinks

They had a range of refreshing drinks and cocktails. I had the lychee, coconut and kaffir lime crush which was delicious and refreshing.

Rice Paper Scissors – BBQ lamb ribs

If you visit this place you have to try the BBQ lamb ribs. They are hands down the best lamb ribs I have eaten to date. It was our first dish we had and it left the whole table wanting more. Definitely had a wow factor. The meat was falling off the bone and melted in your mouth. Marinated in Mekong whiskey and a special sauce, they were sweet and savoury and sticky and wonderful. They were topped with some fresh coriander and chilli. Love.

Rice Paper Scissors – Crying tiger

The crying tiger is a classic dish. You grab a lettuce leaf, pop a piece of chargrilled beef in the middle with some of the Asian salsa then fold it up and dip it in the spicy citrus dipping sauce. It was tasty. And that dipping sauce…yum!

Rice Paper Scissors – Crying tiger action shot

Action shot.

Rice Paper Scissors – Sticky pork belly

Just seeing the words ‘sticky pork belly’ on the menu made me happy. The twice-cooked pork belly was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. It was delicious. It was covered in a sticky tamarind caramel sauce (amazing) and was topped with fragrant Asian herbs and been shoots for some freshness.

Rice Paper Scissors – Soft-shell crab baguettes

The mini soft-shell crab Vietnamese baguettes were cute. They were little soft buns with homemade pate, spicy mayo, pickled vegetables and fresh coriander. The soft-shell crab was battered and deep-fried. Delish!

Rice Paper Scissors – Thai fried chicken

Our last savoury dish was a box full of crispy fried chicken! It was packed with Thai flavours like galangal, chilli, lemongrass and coriander root and served with a spicy mayo dipping sauce. The chicken meat was tender and juicy and the batter was super crunchy.

Rice Paper Scissors – Dropped ice-cream

We ordered the dessert special that day which was a dropped ice-cream (which is what it looked like on the plate). There was white chocolate ice-cream, with sweetened condensed milk and a salty biscuit crumb with puffed quinoa and an ice-cream cone on top.

Rice Paper Scissors – Terrarium

We also had the terrarium dessert (which looked like a terrarium). It was Vietnamese coffee mousse (sweet creamy coffee) covered in a peanut, coconut and coffee soil with mint leaves stemming out of the soil. So cute.

The food was impressive and packed full of flavour. This is my kind of place, a casual environment with heaps of character and exceptional food and service.

I heart Rice Paper Scissors!

Olives x

Rice Paper Scissors
Address: 19 Liverpool St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website: www.ricepaperscissors.com.au/
Phone: 03 9663 9890
Trading Hours: Mon-Sun: 12pm-3pm (lunch) 6 til late (dinner), bar opens at 5.30pm

Supernormal

Supernormal – Street view

Supernormal is an Asian inspired menu created by the talented Andrew McConnell who is known for his highly successful restaurants, others including Cumulus Inc. and Cutler & Co. The menu offers bold flavours that work in complete harmony and create the perfect balance of flavour and texture. Ah-mazing!

Supernormal – Everybody loves ramen

This sign was cute. The venue is a large open space with simple contemporary deco.

Supernormal – New England lobster roll

The New England lobster roll was a winner. It was thin slices of perfectly cooked lobster, creamy herb mayo, a bit of watercress on a lightly toasted, soft buttery bun. It was sensational.

Supernormal – Sauteed mushrooms w rice cakes & sweet soy

The sautéed mushrooms with rice cakes was tasty. There was a range of beautifully sautéed mushrooms and the rice cakes were deep-fried cubes of ginger flavoured rice. It was all sitting on top of a creamy (parsnip i think) puree. Love!

Supernormal – Vegetarian dumplings

The vegetable dumplings were great. They had spinach, tofu and spring onions and were sitting in a delicate vinegar sauce.

Supernormal – Prawn & chicken dumplings w chilli, vinegar sauce

The prawn and chicken dumplings had a great kick of chilli. They were sitting in a chiili oil and vinegar sauce and were topped with dried chilli and fresh spring onions. Delish!

Supernormal – DIY duck bao

We had the twice-cooked duck bao, which was sort of like peking duck pancakes, minus the pancakes plus a few baos. The duck had a crispy coating and the meat was tender. What you do is: you shred the duck, pop some meat in the super soft bao with a piece of cucumber and add some plum sauce. Yum!

Supernormal – Duck bao

Then you dip the bao in the vinegar and eat. It was so delicious and fun putting them together yourself because you can make it just the way you like it.

Supernormal – Salad of brocollini, tofu, candied walnut & toasted seaweed

The salad of brocollini was one of the salads you do make friends with. It had a great balance of flavours and textures. There was a combination of broccoli and brocollini, soft tofu, candied walnuts, crunchy rice puffs and toasted seaweed scattered on top.

Supernormal – Beef cheeks w eggplant, crispy tripe and pepper sauce

Braised beef cheeks are a great winter meal. The beef fell apart easily and was in a sticky pepper sauce with eggplant. The tripe I was unsure about at first. Who in the world knew tripe could be so delicious. It was little deep-fried bits of crispy, that sort of tasted like crackling. It was delish.

Supernormal – Fried custurd w ginger syrup

The fried custard was incredible. It was cubes of vanilla and ginger custard, battered and deep-fried with ginger syrup poured over the top with bits of candied ginger. I love ginger, custard and fried food so I had a slight inkling that I would fall head of heels for this one. Loved it. The custard is piping hot so try to eat it slowly at first, but I completely understand if you can’t help yourself.

Supernormal – Baked meringue w jasmine, raspberry & lychee sorbet

The baked meringue was lovely. It had a nice shell and was soft inside. It was topped with cream, a dehydrated raspberry crumb and a scoop of lychee sorbet, which we though was an actual lychee at first glance. The lychee sorbet had an intense lychee flavour it was awesome and brought all the flavours together. There were little jellies around the plate and a raspberry jasmine coulis underneath the meringue.

Supernormal – Peanut butter parfait w salted caramel soft chocolate

The peanut butter parfait is popular for a reason. It was incredibly indulgent and reminds me of a snickers bar. The peanut butter parfait was super smooth and had a great peanut flavour. It was covered in a dark salted caramel with roasted peanuts on top. It had a layer of crushed peanuts as a base and a quenelle of soft chocolate on top. It was very rich and super delicious.

I really enjoyed everything we ate. All of the meals were modern and creative. Our waitress Sue was so lovely and very knowledgeable about the food and the company. She was also telling us about some of the exciting new ventures Andrew McConnell has in the pipeworks so be sure to keep an eye out.

I heart Supernormal!

Olives x

Address: 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website: http://supernormal.net.au/
Phone: 03 9650 8688
Trading Hours: Sun-Thu: 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-midnight

 

Blue Chillies

Blue chillies – Rockling w curry leaves, spices, chilli & buttered egg floss

Blue Chillies is a Malaysian restaurant on Brunswick street in Fitzroy, which has been around since 1999. Yep, that’s 16 years. The Malaysian flavours and modern execution provide a sensational dining experience. For the restaurant to be around for so long and still growing strong is testament that the food is delicious.

Blue Chillies – Black pepper soft shell crab & sweet potato & whitebait fritters

First up whitebait & sweet potato fritters. It’s a great concept and tasty too, nice and crunchy. They came with a lovely chilli lime dipping sauce I wanted to swim in. It was fresh and zingy with hot chilli, fantastic.

Then we had the black pepper soft-shell crab, battered and fried of course. It had a thick ground peppercorn sauce, which was thick and peppery, it complimented the crab well.

Blue Chillies -Yee sang salad w salmon

The Yee sang salad is a traditional Malaysian salad with finely sliced shreds of crunchy vegetables. It was dressed with a sweet apricot plum sauce and had thinly sliced pieces of sashimi salmon with roasted peanuts on top. It had a really nice balance of flavours and crunch.

Blue Chillies – Rockling fillets

The Rockling was one of my faves. It was rockling fish fillets dusted with a light potato flour batter and deep-fried. They had a lovely crunch on the outside and were beautifully soft in the middle. It was cooked with curry leaves, chilli, spices & buttered egg floss. Those shredded strands of crispy buttered egg were fantastic! This dish was delicious.

Blue Chillies – Duck rendang

The duck rendang was tasty. It was slow cooked and full of flavour with roasted coconut & Malaysian spices, fresh ginger-root, garlic & chillies. It had punchy flavours that worked together in harmony, served with rice. Yum!

Blue Chillies – King prawns wrapped in vermicelli

The king prawns were big and juicy wrapped in thin vermicelli rice noodles, which gave it a great crunchy texture. It sat in a on a bed of tomato puree with pineapple & coconut milk, which tasted savoury with a subtle sweetness.

Blue Chillies – Sticky pork ribs w chilli jam

The short pork ribs were great they were sticky and caramelised and covered in a rich sweet and sour chilli jam.

Blue Chillies – Thrice cooked duck

The thrice-cooked duck was incredible. The duck had a crispy skin and melted in your mouth. The sauce was a blend of wild ginger flower, lemongrass, chilli and lime juice. It had fragrant and harmonious flavours with a fantastic zing that cut through the richness of the duck. It was delish. Definitely one of my faves.

Blue Chillies – Black sticky rice pudding

For dessert we had black sticky rice pudding sitting in a coconut cream and palm sugar syrup. The rice was cooked perfectly and I could feel the texture of the rice grains, which I loved. It was topped with shredded coconut that had a lovely toasted flavour and crunch.

There’s no wonder they have been around for 16 years, the food is absolutely delicious. Their dishes have exciting flavours and textures, which makes for a truly satisfying meal. Blue Chillies incorporates traditional Malaysian flavours in a creative and modern way and are sure to be around for many more years to come.

I heart Blue Chillies!

Olives x

Address: 182 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC
Website: http://bluechillies.com.au/
Phone: 03 9417 0071
Trading Hours: Lunch: Mon-Fri:12pm-2.30pm Sat- Sun:11am-2.30pm
Dinner: Mon-Thu: 6pm-10.30pm, Fri-Sat: 6pm-11pm, Sun: 6pm-10pm

Note: Olive Sundays was invited as a guest to Blue Chillies.

Kong

Kong – Venue

Kong is owned by the same people who do chin chin and baby pizza, The Lucas Group. And like its other restaurant counterparts, it has a cool vibe and has people queuing out the door for quality dining. Kong creates modern dishes with Korean inspired flavours, lots of intense flavours and lots of BBQ’d things.

Kong – Woodgrilled endamame w chilli sea salt

The endamame was delish. They saw some heat on the wood grill and were seasoned with chilli & sea salt. Excellent starter.

Kong – BBQ corn w miso butter chilli

The BBQ corn was juicy and had a nice char to it. It was covered in a delicious miso butter and sprinkled with chilli salt.

Kong – Miso caramelised eggplant

The miso eggplant was beautifully caramelised. And it was served in iceburg lettuce with sesame, chervil & yuzu. Easy to eat and really tasty.

Kong – SSAM roti

The roti was nice and soft and was a good dipping tool to savour all the flavour in the saucy dishes.

Kong – Korean fried chicken wings

The Korean fried chicken wings were doused in a thick, sticky honey garlic sauce and was topped with sesame seeds, spring onion and coriander. The sauce was really flavoursome and intense. They were super tasty but I couldn’t eat a lot of them in a row.

Kong – Salmon roti rolls

We had the salmon roti rolls which was teriyaki grilled salmon w rocket and spicy tomato salsa. I knew it was salmon because I ordered it but otherwise I wouldn’t have known it was salmon. It was okay but probably my least fave of the night.

Kong – Soft-shell crab bao

We tried the soft-shell crab with salted duck egg relish & coriander. The bao was so soft and smooth, I was patting it like it was my little pet. It was crunchy, tangy, fresh and delicious. Yum!

Kong – Kong Bossam BBQ tray

The Kong Bossam BBQ tray was a platter of different meats, which included a little tasting of pulled chicken & pork, pork belly & beef brisket. The meats were tasty and had different flavours and textures. There was some lettuce leaves to put the meat in and pickled veg for freshness and some tasty condiments like kimchi & walnut ssamjang to add a chilli kick. Very tasty indeed.

Kong – Dukkbokki rice-cakes

The Dukkbokki rice-cakes were sort of like over-sized, oddly shaped noodles that resembled little alien tenticles. The sauce was thick, spicy and delicious. It had red chilli, gochujang & roasted parsnip. It was a great vegetarian option. The rice-cakes soaked up the sauce so well and each bite was full of flavour.

Kong – Black sesame ice cream

The black sesame ice cream looked fantastic. It was smooth and the flavour was nutty sort of like tahini. I’m not a huge black sesame ice-cream fan but this was pleasant.

Kong – Apple & walnut tart w miso butterscotch

The apple & walnut tart was delicious. It had thin slices of soft apple and a crunchy walnut crumb on top. There was miso butterscotch poured on, over and around the tart, which was a thin sweet and sticky sauce. On top of the tart was a scoop of Japanese whisky ice-cream. The Japanese flavours take this dish to another level. It has the essence of a traditional apple pie but with a modern Japanese twist. It’s a good one for winter.

Kong – Coconut sago, passionfruit & pineapple trifle

The coconut sago trifle was heavenly. The sago was covered in creamy coconut, the passionfruit layer was a burst of fresh fruit and the pineapple layer tasted sweet and caramelised. Absolute bliss.

It’s a walk in restaurant so you can’t make a booking and it gets really busy so you can expect to wait over an hour at peak times. We left our name and number and visited the pub down the street (Prince Albert Hotel) for some drinks to pass the time and they called us when our table was ready. You also have the option to take-away if you prefer. The food came out pretty quickly and the staff were fantastic, very friendly and attentive. And the food was full of flavour and super tasty so definitely worth the wait.

I heart Kong!

Olives x

Kong
Address: 599 Church St, Richmond VIC 3121
Website: https://www.kongbbq.com.au/
Phone: 03 9427 1307
Trading Hours: Mon-Sun: 11am ’til late (open 7 days)

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne)

Night Noodle Market 2014 – Melbourne @Birrarung Marr

The return of the night noodle market makes me happy. Last year it was a major hit and this year its back with double the food stalls. This time it’s held at a different, and much larger venue, Birrarung Marr. Which is a great idea considering last year the event was packed to the max. The noodle night markets present a collection of authentic Asian cuisines and Asian inspired dishes from across the continent.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Early birds

I generally like to go earlier because there are less people, less queues and more available seats…winning!

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Lots o’ people

It’s a really popular event so one minute there is no queue, the next minute there is a really long queue. As they say, the early bird gets the noodle.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Grassy knoll

They was a big grassy knoll, which is perfect for good weather you can have a little picnic on the hill.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Red Spice Road – Coconut sago pudding

The weather was all sunshine so a tropical dessert from Red Spice Road sounded like a good starter. We had a coconut sago pudding w pineapple & lime. It was really fresh and had lots of different textural elements.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Red Spice Road – Five-spice pork belly w chilli caramel

We also got a savoury dish from Red Spice Road. The five spice pork belly w chilli caramel. It was delicious! The pork belly was deep-fried, crispy on the outside and soft and sticky in the middle. The chilli caramel was so good with the pork and it was complimented with a side of fresh beans shoots, coriander and mint. Yum!

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Ramen Burger – Chicken ramen burger

From Ramen Burger we got the…wait for it…yep, the ramen burger. We ordered the chicken one, which was well constructed and tasted good. It was a fillet of teriyaki chicken amongst two noodle patties with some spinach, cheese and mayo. And yes the burger bun was made entirely out of thin egg noodles, which were toasted, so they had a bit of a crispy noodle crunch. It was good.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Charlie’s Dumplings – Steamed pork & ginger dumplings

From Charlie’s Dumplings we tried the steamed pork and ginger dumplings with black bean and chilli dressing. They were yum. The pastry was good and the filling melted in your mouth. The dressing was nice and had a good chilli kick.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Charlie’s Dumplings – Milk choc dumplings w raspberry & chilli sauce

Also from Charlie’s dumplings we got the Milk chocolate dumplings w raspberry and chilli sauce. Luckily the guy at the store gave us a heads up on how to eat the dumplings in daylight (as chocolate is less visible after dark). We ate the dumplings whole as suggested to avoid a chocolate mishap. They were yum and our shirts got through unscathed. The dumplings were battered balls of chocolate. A great idea. They were sitting in the raspberry and chilli sauce, which was nice. The taste of chilli was barely noticeable which I liked.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Izakaya Den – Nakaochi (Tuna & salmon tartare w rice)

We tried the Nakaochi from Izakaya Den, which is a tuna and salmon tartare w sesame & ginger. It was served with some salted cucumber and steamed rice. I really liked it. It was fresh and the oily fish went well with the steamed rice. It was really yum.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Lankan Tucker – Veg pan rolls

We got a couple of veg pan rolls from the Lankan Tucker stall. They were nice with some sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Hammer and Tong – Soft Shell Crab burger w sriracha mayo

The soft shell crab burger was incredible. I didn’t realise I was such a fan of soft-shell crab. This burger was amazing. It was a crispy fried soft-shell crab in a soft buttery brioche bun with cabbage and sriracha mayo. Oh my goodness. It took me to a heavenly place. Loved it.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Kong – B1 & B2

At this point we were getting very full and decided we would get bun one and bun two from Kong. B1 was spicy pork belly, pickled cucumber & crazy horse sauce and B2 was peanut butter S&P tofu w burnt chilli mayo. They were good. I was petting the buns they were so soft. There was a long order line and an even longer collect line. So you could maybe have one person in each line and while the first person orders, the second person is already in queue to collect the order.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Gelato Messina – Phuc Khing Tasty & Happy Taste Bud Time

Gelato Messina created some really exciting flavour combinations. We tried the Phuc Khing Tasty and this dessert was exactly that. It was cinnamon scroll (like literally a piece of cinnamon scroll), coffee gelato, condensed milk panna cotta, walnut crunch and an Asian spiced cookie. It was amazing. It was really fun journeying through the different elements. We also tried Happy Taste Bud Time, which was just as delicious. Lychee sponge, mango puree, rambutan & coconut gelato, whipped salted coconut cream (omg yum!) and a cocnut macaron. It was amazing. I could have eaten a bowl of that whipped salted coconut cream. Exploring through the dessert and finding little surprises was fun. These two desserts were stand out and worth the wait in queue.

Night Noodle Market 2014 (Melbourne) – Mr Miyagi – Nori Salmon Taco & Miyagi Fried Chicken

After some time I mustered up the courage to eat again, I was very full by now but I wanted to try the Nori taco at Mr Miyagi. So I got a taco and while I was there I also got a cheeky six pack of MFC (Miyagi Fried Chicken). And I’m glad I did because that nori taco was pure genius and the fried chicken was yum too. The Nori taco is such an interesting creation and it was well executed. The taco was a sheet of nori battered and fried, then folded and filled with vinegar rice (like sushi rice), grilled salmon belly, spicy nappa cabbage, japanese mayo and chilli oil. It was so delicious! And it didn’t even fall apart. My issue with normal tacos is that they fall apart when you bite into them. Not with this one. The nori taco is flexible and easy to eat. It was fantastic. So creative.

It’s a great event and it’s still on for another week. There are so many amazing food stalls in one place. It’s really well organised and is definitely one of my favourite food festivals.

I heart the Night Noodle Market!

Olives x

Red Spice Road

Red Spice Road – QV.

Last night we went to Red Spice Road to celebrate my mum’s birthday, we had a fantastic night. The décor was modern with a bit of funk, the staff were friendly and attentive and the food was amazing. We went to the QV location, which was quite a large venue. It’s perfect for a birthday dinner or a corporate lunch or anything really. The restaurant is dimly lit and these beautiful red lights are hung around the bar, which created a chilled ambience.

On the menu they had a list of entrées where you order per piece. I like that because everyone who wants one can order one. You can avoid that situation where there are three people at the table and there is a serve of four pieces. Who gets that forth piece?  You can also avoid that ‘you have it, no you have it’ conversation. First world problems, i know.

Red Spice Road – Bahn mi with Bia Ha Noi battered flathead, fennel slaw and siracha mayo.

So for starters we ordered the ‘Bahn mi with Bia Ha Noi (Vietnamese beer) battered flathead, fennel slaw and siracha mayo.’ It was presented as an adorable little burger, the fish was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, it was tasty.

Red Spice Road – Scallop with corn puree, cucumber, green chilli and soya beans.

I also had a onesie ‘scallop with corn puree, cucumber, green chilli and soya beans.’ It was incredible!! The scallop was cooked perfectly, the corn puree was smooth and creamy, the cucumber and soya beans gave it a freshness and added texture and the green chilli packed a punch. It was a really great start to the meal. Highly recommend.

Red Spice Road – Chilli salt drunken chicken w pineapple, tamarind dipping sauce.

We shared a bowl of ‘chilli salt drunken chicken with pineapple, tamarind dipping sauce.’ The chicken was delicious and crunchy and when dipped in the sauce it was a sweet, sour, salty explosion. Yum! And it wasn’t very spicy, so for those who can’t handle too much heat, you can probably handle these.

Red Spice Road – Pork belly w apple slaw, chilli caramel and black vinegar.

For main we ordered the ‘pork belly w apple slaw, chilli caramel and black vinegar’ and it was sensational. The pork belly melted in your mouth, the apple slaw gave the dish crunch, lots of coriander gave it freshness, the chilli caramel was sweet and spicy and the black vinegar helped cut through the fat and sweetness. It was a showstopper, definitely one of my favourite dishes of the night. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Red Spice Road – Wagyu shin slow-cooked in five-spice w mushrooms and smoked eggplant.

We also got the ‘Wagyu shin slow-cooked in five-spice w mushrooms and smoked eggplant.’ The beef was falling apart and the mushrooms were gorgeous. The sauce was good, it had a really intense beef flavour without being too salty.

Red Spice Road – Dessert Tasting Plate.

For dessert we tried the dessert tasting plate. It was spectacular! To think we almost skipped dessert because we were full. Lesson learnt. We got to try a little bit of everything.  There was a deep fried sticky-rice dumpling, which had bits of banana and toasty sesame seeds sitting in a palm sugar caramel. This was yummy but a little heavy with the rice and the deep friedness. Then there was the ‘chocolate delice with praline,’ which was a smooth and decadent chocolate mousse with a hint of chilli. It was yum and the chilli  didn’t go unnoticed in fact after the mousse I went straight for the peppermint ice-cream to cool my palette. The scoop of ice cream was sitting on a bed of toasted coconut, so pretty.  Then there was caramelised pineapple, butter cake and Sang Som (Thai rum) ice-cream which sort of tasted like a pineapple bread and butter pudding which was nice. In a cup there was sago pudding (yum!) with mango bits and granite on top and last but not least a yummy salted caramel macaron.

We had a really great experience from the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding. Definitely a restaurant I’ll be visiting again.

I heart Red Spice Road!

Olives x

Address: 37 Artemis Lane, Melbourne VIC (QV near the grass strip next to Papa Rich)
Website: http://qv.redspiceroad.com
Phone: 03 8660 6300
Trading Hours: Mon-Fri: 12-3pm (lunch), 6pm-late (dinner) Sat: 6pm-late Sun: closed

 

Fa-Fah

Fa-Fah – Outside view.

Fa-Fah is a restaurant that specializes in Asian cuisine but in particular Asian roasts. There are three roasts to choose from. Roast Chicken, Roast Pork Belly and Char Siew – BBQ Chinese Dynamite. If you cant decide on which one you want, you can order ‘Double Happiness’ which is a choice of two of the roasts. Or if you’re like me, terribly indecisive (which can be frustrating for present company) ‘Triple Happiness’ is the go. It’s a mixed plate of all three roasts. What to order? Problem solved. I was triple happy that my decision on what to eat was so easily made.

Fa-Fah – Triple Happiness (Roast chicken, Roast Pork Belly, Char Siew)

But then came the next dilemma. With the roasts you can choose out of three condiments. A sweet soy (my fave), chicken salt (which btw is amazing with the crispy eggplant) or chilli oil (with sesame seeds and spring onions). Again couldn’t decide, so I ordered all three condiments. Triple happiness x2.

Fa-Fah – Condiments (Chilli oil, sweet soy, chicken salt).

The decor was exactly as the title describes, an asian kitchen. It had a modern vibe with Asian style. And you can smell the delicious food from the kitchen which excites your tastebuds before you even order.

Fa-Fah – Decor.

We ordered the egg fried rice to eat with our roasts. It was really yummy.  I like extra egg when I order special fried rice so I was pretty pleased to see ‘Egg Fried Rice’ on the menu. It tasted just as I imagined. It was delicious and a perfect accompany to out roasts. They also had ‘Cereal Fried Rice’ with crispy cereal bits in the rice, which sounded interesting.

Fa-Fah – Egg Fried Rice.

The crispy eggplant was delicious! The eggplant was cooked to perfection and the batter was light and fluffy with a crunch. Yum! They were amazing dipped in the sauce, sprinkled with chicken salt or just on their own. Loved them so much! If you’re in close proximity of Chadstone Shopping Centre, It’s definitely worth dropping by just to get a handful of these bad boys. They are incredible!

Fa-Fah – Crispy Eggplant.

I am a big advocate of avocado smoothies and there are just not enough places in Melbourne that make this heavenly drink. Fa-Fah call it ‘Avocado Snow’, I call it Fricken Delicious! I love avocado smoothies and this one was perfect. It wasn’t too sweet and you could taste the fresh avocado. Yum!! They say on the menu that when you drink this you will wish it was snowing avocados. As much as I love avocados I will never wish it was snowing them, because that would be way too dangerous.

Fa-Fah’s menu is made like a newspaper titled Roast Express. That’s my mumsie in the photo reading the menu news.

Fa-Fah – Avocado Snow. Mel 4 Avo Smoothies 4eva.

I really enjoyed everything I ate here and I will definitely be going back to try some of the other things on the menu. However it’s probably not a good idea to eat too much of the roasts on your own, because of the high fat content. The plates and most items on the menu are good for sharing. Fa-Fah is located in the outside area of Chadstone Shopping centre so you can easily drop by before, after or during your shopping escapade.

I heart Fa-Fah!

Olives x

Adress: Shop F018, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone (Outside area of Chadstone Shopping centre)
Website: http://fafah.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoFaFah
Phone: 03 9568 6600