Hawker Hall

Hawker Hall – Windsor

Hawker Hall is the latest edition to Ben Cooper’s restaurant empire and it’s located in Windsor. It’s a happening place with a big open dining space. Good food and good vibes is what keeps this place so busy. It embraces the bold casualness of hawker style food from Singapore and Malaysia and the flavours pack a punch.

Hawker Hall – Housemade soda

They make homemade soda, raspberry and mint was refreshing. They also have a range of alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and cocktails.

Hawker Hall – Nyonya style fried popcorn chicken

The Nyonya style fried popcorn chicken is a good beer snack. Bite size fried chicken pieces w chilli mayo.

Hawker Hall – Panfried braised oxtail dumplings

I know the words ox-tail can be a bit frightening when you see it on the menu but rest assure these pan-fried ox-tail dumplings were anything but. The dumpling skin was thin and the filling had a meaty beef flavour with fresh herbs. They were nice.

Hawker Hall – Beef rendang

The Malay coconut beef rending is their signature dish and it only takes one mouthful to understand why. The flavours are big, bold, intense and balanced to perfection. The meat is tender, the curry is incredibly flavoursome and I love the touch of toasted coconut on top. I first encountered this dish when it debuted at the night noodle market as per the photo. Totally recommend this dish.

Hawker Hall – Salmon in banana leaf

The Otak Otak came in a little wrapped banana leaf parcel. It was salmon with a fragrant indian curry and coconut. The salmon melted in you mouth, the texture was amazing. The aromatic flavours with the soft salmon were beautiful.

Hawker Hall – CKT

The char kway teow a.k.a CKT was yum. It wasn’t the thick flat rice noodles I’m used to in a CKT but it was still hella tasty. It had a smokey soy flavour and was mixed up with prawns, bean shoots and lup cheong (chinese sausage). I loved that it had chinese sausage.

Hawker Hall – Penang duck curry

The Penang duck curry was yum. The shredded duck was moist and it had a nice flavour. It had those mini eggplants that are so super cute and was topped with chopped peanuts.

Hawker Hall – Red sticky date pudding

The sticky red date pudding with coconut caramel was delish. It was soft and pudding like with a sweet, sticky coconut caramel poured over it. It was accompanied by the softest, creamiest coconut ice-cream ever. It had a really lovely texture. We ordered an extra bowl of ice-cream because it was so good.

Hawker hall is very popular like the other Lucas Group establishments, so just a heads up if you’re planning a dinner I suggest to go early otherwise you may have to wait an hour or two.

I heart Hawker Hall!

Olives x

Hawker Hall
Address: 98 Chapel St, Windsor VIC 3181
Website: www.hawkerhall.com.au
Phone: 03 8560 0090
Trading Hours: Mon-Sun: 11am-1am (everyday)

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Mr. Mister

Mr. Mister – Chapel Street, Windsor

Mr. Mister is a café on chapel street that serves delicious food. They have a range of interesting items on the menu that are well executed. There are lots of sunshine filled indoor and outdoor spaces with a bit of a nature inspired decor. The meals are made with love and quality produce. The food is clean, fresh and well balanced. A great place for brunch.

Mr. Mister – Potato rosti w terrine and apple cider chutney

The potato rosti squares were super crunchy on the outside and had that lovely kinda sticky potato on the inside. The terrine was colourful and full of flavour packed with chicken, ham hock and pistachio. Great combination. The apple cider chutney had a nice apple flavour, which added a bit of acidity and moistness to the dish. I liked the addition of parsley, which added freshness. There was some blanched baby spinach for greenery and a couple of yolk porn poachies. There were a few thin slices of crunchy bread like crostini scattered throughout. It was unique and a clever combination of flavours. Delish.

Mr. Mister – Smashed avo w marinated heirloom tomatoes

The smashed avocado was creamy and zesty and went well with the seeded bread. The marinated heirloom tomatoes were tasty and pretty with all the different colours. The was burrata cheese on top which was a similar texture to buffalo mozerella it was delish. We got added roasted field mushrooms on the side, which were yum too.

Mr. Mister – House-made banana bread

The house made banana bread was so good. It was thick, dense,crumbly and packed full of walnuts. There were two slices. One slice had a quenelle of espresso mascarpone and espresso praline on top. The flavours were insane together. Coffee and banana, absolutely delish! And then the other slice had a coconut panna cotta on top that was smooth and had a nice jiggle to it. The coconut and banana was amazing too. There was a lovely berry coulis and fresh berries that added tartness and a bit of fresh mint. Divine! Everything on that plate went well together.

Mr. Mister – Coffees

Good coffee too.

The meals had a great sense of balance and seemed relatively healthy. And there are lots of Veg, Vegan and GF options on the menu, which is great to see. Even the indulgent things on the menu didn’t seem too unhealthy. We really enjoyed it. A lovely place to visit for breakfast or lunch.

I heart Mr. Mister!

Olives x

Mr. Mister
Address: 161 Chapel Street, Windsor VIC 3181
Website: http://www.mrmistercafe.com/
Phone: 03 9529 3902
Trading Hours: Mon-Fri: 6.30am-4pm, Sat-Sun: 7am-4.30pm

Mr. Miyagi

Mr. Miyagi – Street view

Mr. Miyagi is a Japanese restaurant on Chapel street that embraces traditional Japanese flavours in a modern and unique way. Some of their unusual dishes include the nori taco, tuna tataki pizza and ramen gnocchi. The food is amazing and they have some interesting cocktails and a variety of Japanese beverages available too.

Mr. Miyagi – Venue

It has a great vibe about it, super stylish and classy with lots of character.

Mr. Miyagi – Neon light

They have a list of items on sticks, which you can order by the piece. I like when you can order onesies because then you can try one of each or order exactly as many as you want.

Mr. Miyagi – Prawn dawg

We ordered a prawn dawg and as I ate it I immediately wanted another one. It had a juicy prawn mixture, coated in crunchy Orion (Japanese beer) batter on a popsicle stick (easy to eat). It was topped with a spicy jalapeno mayonnaise and sprinkled with furikake. It was awesome. Absolutely delicious! Who needs a corn dog when you can have a prawn dawg.

Mr. Miyagi – Yakitori chicken skewer w spring onion

We had the chicken skewers, which were tasty. It had a sticky yakitori glaze with spring onions.

Mr. Miyagi – Grilled chicken thigh

The grilled chicken thigh was cute. It was little and moist and had crispy skin.

Mr. Miyagi – Black pig gyoza

The black pig gyoza’s were amazing. The skin of the dumplings were thin and soft and crispy pan-fried on the outside. And the filling was sensational. Pork, soy, chilli, ginger, full of flavour and served with a sesame dipping sauce. Loved them.

Mr. Miyagi – Nori taco

I love the nori taco, it’s such a great idea. The lightly battered deep-fried nori acts as the perfect taco. It’s flexible and holds its shape when you bite it (like it doesn’t crack and fall apart). It’s filled with sushi rice, grilled salmon belly (soft and flaking apart), spicy napa cabbage, Japanese mayo and chilli oil. So clever I was impressed. They had these nori tacos at the night noodle market last year, which is where i first tried it. Delish!

Mr. Miyagi – Miyagi fried chicken w kewpie mayo

The all popular Miyagi fried chicken (MFC) is delicious. Miyagi’s secret spices make this chicken finger lickin’ good. It’s served with kewpie mayo and the delicious deep-fried goodness makes it crunchy on the outside and juicy in the middle.

Mr. Miyagi – Tuna tataki pizza

The tuna tataki pizza was fresh and had really clean flavours. The base was spiced flat bread, which was thin and crispy and covered with a citrusy yuzu caesar cream. The toppings were sliced thinly and placed on top. Rare seared tuna, heirloom tomatoes and shaved jalepenos. It had nice textures and fresh flavours.

Mr. Miyagi – Pumpkin toast

The pumpkin toast was soft and cake-like. There were thick shards of honeycomb, white chocolate and pumpkin ganache, a sweet and spiced pumpkin ice-cream which had a lovely flavour and a fresh yoghurt sorbet, which was light and fresh and helped cut through the sweet elements.

Mr. Miyagi – Donuts w apple cinnamon jam

For dessert we tried the doughnut balls w classic apple cinnamon jam. Yum! The doughnuts were crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. And that apple cinnamon jam was scrumptious. You can opt for hot chocolate sauce if you prefer. It also comes with two ice-creams, pistachio and gingerbread. They were nice and creamy and the ginger flavour in the gingerbread ice-cream was quite strong which was great.

Mr. Miyagi is a great place to catch up with friends for dinner and drinks. It’s got a classy but relaxed atmosphere and the staff are nice and friendly. The food is innovative and leaves you inspired.

I heart Mr. Miyagi!

Olives x

Mr. Miyagi
Address: 99 Chapel Street, Windsor VIC 3181
Facebook: http://www.mrmiyagi.com.au/
Phone: 03 9529 5999
Trading Hours: Tue-Sun: 5.30pm-11pm (dinner only)

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Windsor

Highline Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant that uses local produce to create an exciting and Australian inspired menu. It’s located upstairs at the railway hotel in Windsor. The ingredients are top quality and sourced from local providers. It definitely celebrates and embodies the paddock to plate concept. Simon Tarlington is the man behind the menu and he takes you on a journey with every mouthful.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant- Venue

The venue décor has a modern vibe and there is a fireplace on the back wall and has comfy seating spaces. The menu was presented in an envelope, sealed with a red wax stamp, which was an elegant touch.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Farmhouse snacks

We started the meal with some farmhouse snacks, which were presented on a wooden board with pieces of chorizo, salami and oysters. The meats were tasty and the oysters were an interesting rendition of a Kilpatrick oyster. There were smoky chunks of bacon at the bottom with a dehydrated oyster on top. The smokiness complimented the texture of the oyster.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Warm bread and Koojong Valley olive oil

Warm bread was served in a cute little mesh bag with a side of Koojong Valley olive oil and salt.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Variations of prawn and pumpkin

The first starter was ‘variations of prawn and pumpkin.’ The delicate flavours and textures worked in complete harmony. Each element on the dish had its own character and no element overpowered the other. The pumpkin puree was so smooth and full of flavour, the thinly sliced disks of pickled pumpkin added a bit of crunch and acidity, the poached prawns were perfectly cooked and the prawn fluff had an intense prawn flavour and a subtle light and rough texture. The aroma of the prawn and pumpkin broth was enticing. It was a beautiful start to the meal.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Rabbit terrine

Next up was the rabbit terrine. It had a full-bodied hearty flavour and was made really well. There was a beautifully cooked pink piece of rabbit in the centre. It was rolled in radicchio, which added a little bite of bitterness and the pickles were good to cut through the full-bodied flavour of the terrine. The side of shredded cucumber added freshness and the fresh figs added a light sweet flavour. It was topped with super thin buckwheat crisps.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Sauce pouring action shot.

Then there was duck. This was one of my faves. There was a slice of perfectly roasted Gippsland duck breast (so tender) with crispy skin and shredded duck leg with a caramelised top. Yes you heard correctly, this juicy duck leg stack had a bruleed top. You could crack your spoon into the top like a crème brulee. It was sweet and juicy, amazing!

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Gippsland Duck and root vegetables

There were some colourful root vegetables to accompany the duck and the celeriac puree was silky and smooth. The liquorice dust had a great flavour and was deliciously subtle and there was these super thin crispy, wispy carrot bits that added texture. The duck jus brought all of the elements together. It was marvellous.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Oak Valley Lamb

The Oak Valley lamb was divine. It was so tender. It melted in your mouth because it was so tender. It was delicious. Did I mention it was tender? The celeriac and smoked chestnuts added a fresh crunch to the meal. And the lamb jus amplified the flavour of the lamb. There were three strips of lamb bacon, which were delicious. It had that smoky bacon flavour, it was interesting to have a different type of bacon. It was delish! The slices of pickled quince were sweet and sour and the celeriac puree was creamy. They were fantastic with the lamb.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Choc-mandarin obsession

For dessert we had the ‘choc-mandarin obsession.’ The chocolate was sourced from the Daintree rainforest in north QLD which is a chocolate farm in oz. The chocolate mousse was so smooth. It was full of flavour and not too sweet. The crumb was a combination of chocolate and dehydrated mandarin. There was different size bits in the crumb which created an exquisite mouthfeel with a bit of chew. There were bits of mandarin jelly, which were bursts of intense mandarin flavour and cheeky bits of fresh mandarin pieces in amongst the crumb. There were thin chocolate shards placed on top, which were super thin and crispy. Yum! The chocolate shards looked like branches from a tree emerging from the chocolate crumb.

The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant – Passionfruit jellies

We finished our meal with little squares of passion fruit jelly, which had a beautiful passionfruit flavour and was coated in a floral maybe lavender sugar.

They have a lovely wine selection so you can get your degustation on and pair a glass of wine with each of your meals. The ingredients used are from local providers and are of the finest quality, so the menu will often change depending on what’s in season. It was a nice escape. Even though the location was close to home, the dining experience made me feel like I was far away at a winery somewhere.

I heart The Railway Hotel – Highline Restaurant!

Olives x

Highline Restaurant
Address: 29 Chapel Street, Windsor VIC 3181
Website: https://www.therailway.com.au
Phone: 03 9510 4050
Trading Hours: Mon-Sat: 6pm til late

Note: Olive Sundays was invited as a guest to the railway hotel – Highline restaurant.