Hawker Hall

Hawker Hall is the newest addition to the Chris Lucas' family of Asian fusion restaurant. This is Lucas' take on Malaysian and Singaporean street food. I saw it pop up at the night noodle market a few months ago and ever since it's been sitting on my "to visit" list for awhile...... and I finally reached it!

I decided to ditch D and instead have a girls night out with my long time friend P.  She is full of energy and loves a good time, and I love good food, so Hawker Hall was the perfect placefor us. P got there around 6pm on a Friday and managed to get a table at the kitchen bench, I arrived later ataround 6.30pm, and as I was entering I could hear people being told of a 1-2 hour wait before they could get a seat. So my advice? Go there early or be prepared to wait a long time!

To start we ordered the Prawn and Ginger Dumpling. This was served with soy and black vinegar caramel. It's the Lucas version of the classic Har Gow. I was surprised with the texture of the prawn filling, it wasn't mushy as I expected. It was soft but not too soft, and had some bounce.

Second was the Gado Gado. This is a classic in my mind, each time I visit a Malaysian restaurant with mum, she is guaranteed to order it. Bean sprouts, fried tofu, coriander, egg and sweet potato served with a satay peanut sauce. The sweet potato is not something I see in Gado Gado often, but I quite enjoyed it. It did make the flavour more modern compared to the classic potato you normally get.

Third was Mee Goreng. Besides Indomee, I seldom eat/order Mee Goreng; it's one of those dishes that just never really grew on me. However P wanted to try it and I was prepared to step out of my comfort zone. This came with a generous amount of prawns, pork, squid, cherry tomato and bok choy. Served with hokkien noodles and sambal sauce, it had a nice kick to it. It was not as oily as I expected. Based on the other dishes we ordered I found that it worked quite well. I found myself putting more on my plate than I expected. Good choice P!

Finally we got to dessert. P told me she had decided to quit sugar so I decided to soldier on without her. I ordered the Many Treasure Jelly to cap off my meal. It came as colourful layers of red and green. The layers contained coconut, pineapple, lychee and hibiscus. It was quite sweet, but given the spiciness in the Mee Goreng previously, I didn't mind it too much. Any other time and it would have been too sweet for my liking.

Overall great ambiance and service. P mentioned to me that while she was waiting for me, the wait staff made sure she was looked after and made recommendations to her. The food also stuck to its roots but also that touch of modern Melbourne in it. Another Chris Lucas success!

Mr Miyagi

Mr Miyagi has become the talk of town in the last year or so. It popped up a few years ago and first caught my attention at the Night Noodle Markets, I have always been wanting to try the restaurant but due to the wait for a table (think 2 hours) unless you show up at 5.30pm, it has put me off until recently. As of late, I have been working hard and put myself in a vicious cycle of eating the same thing, same place and keep working so it was time to change that.

On a Friday night when D and I weren't all that hungry and was eager to try something different, we finally walked up Chapel Street and put our names down. We got there around 9.00pm (hoping it meant a shorter wait and it worked), at 10.00pm we were finally sitting down on a table. The staff were lovely from the moment we set foot into the place.

As soon as we sat down we were given menus and explained to us how the menu worked. Since it was our first time to Mr Miyagi, they ran through all the favorites and recommended a few more. Since we were starving at this point, we got our orders in quickly.

First up was the Nori Tacos. This was easily my favorite dish of the night. Think tacos but swap the corn shell for a seaweed shell and fill it with rice, salmon belly, spicy napa cabbage (kind of like kimchi), chilli mayo. The result is a mind blowing awesome taco where you just don't want to share. The spicy cabbage with salmon was a great bite then followed with the chilli mayo, it gave just enough creaminess to balance out the spice. If you come here, you must order this.

Second was Kingfish Ceviche. Kingfish cured in grapefruit and cucumber then finished with red sorrel, coconut panna cotta and ginger dressing. Maybe I am getting picky these days (as ceviche is quite a common dish now in fusion restaurant), I just wasn't wow'ed by this dish. The fish was cured perfectly but the cucumber pairing was a bit disappointing for me. I expected something more explosive in terms of flavour.

Third up was the Cracked Corn on Stick. This was a corn cob covered in corn crunch and miso butter. I never realized corned covered in more crunchy corn would be so good. The bbq flavour in the corn crunch mixed in with the miso butter made this quite the snack. I would happily sit in front of the tv with a cob or two of these.

Forth was the Tuna Tataki Pizza. I honestly had no idea what to expect with this one. It came as seared tuna on flat bread with heirloom tomatoes, jalapenos and finished with yuzu Caesar sauce. All those things don't sound like they belong together as a pizza but somehow it worked. The lightness in the fish made the punchy tomato, yuzu caesar sauce work well together, then to finish it off with the pinch of spiciness from the jalapenos.

Fifth was MFC, also known as Miyagi Fried Chicken. This was the main reason that D wanted to come here. Glorious seasoned fried chicken, served with kewpi mayo. The outside was crisp and tasty, inside the chicken was just right. It was damn good is the only way I can sum it up.

Sixth was Black Pig Gyoza. This was black pig filling with a thin skin that was lightly pan-fried and served with ginger soy. It was a bit on the salty side but still enjoyable.

Seventh was Steam Pork Buns. This came deconstrated, there was 12 hour pulled pork,
pickled pumpkin, cucumber and ginger. All that was to go into a soft steamed bun. This was more on the spicy side. I struggled with the heat but D took it find. The elements had an explosion of flavour, if it was less spicy, I would have happily eaten a whole plate to myself.

Lastly dessert, I had no room but the friendly waitress convinced me. We got the Pumpkin Toast, which as the name suggest is pumpkin toast served with white chocolate ganache, large chunks of honeycomb, yoghurt sorbet and spiced pumpkin ice cream. This was one big dessert with heaps to offer. I would suggest you share with someone. There all the elements on the plate, from soft to warm and sticky to creamy.

Overall 17.5/20 I was very impressed with Mr Miyagi, it exceeded my expectations. The nori tacos and MFC left a lasting impression. Coupled with exceptional service it was the perfect night out. If the wait wasn't that long, I would happily make this a regular place to visit.


 

Scroll Ice Cream

Back when the Taste of Melbourne was taking place, I discovered Scroll Ice Cream. Unlike traditional ice cream that comes in scoops, Scroll ice cream comes in scroll form. It has a variety of flavours that were fresh or chocolatey. So when I got an invite to try more of their ice cream and learn how to scroll some of my own I couldn't turn the offer down.

So before we talk about the taste, you might be wondering how it's made. So the ice cream base is in liquid form and poured onto a cold plate. From there you add in the flavours/textures you want (e.g. lychee, strawberries, pretzel etc.) and start chopping away. After a bit of chopping, you spread it thin and scroll it up. Put the scrolls in cup nicely, then add in the toppings. This concept came from Thailand, one of the owners was on holidays in Thailand with his girlfriend, she loved it so he decided to bring it back to Melbourne so she could have it whenever she wants (cute story).

I was lucky to try three of their flavours and make one of my own. The first one I tried was Perfect Matcha. This had a lychee, matcha base and topped with more lychee and pocky. The good thing about scroll is, you can customize how strong you want the matcha flavour to be. The ice cream flavour was smooth and surprisingly didn't have a lot of have a lot of ice crystals in it. The lychee gave it that bit of sweetness to cut through the matcha.

Second one was Salted Caramel Popcorn. This was as the name suggested, a salted caramel based ice cream (duh) with salted pretzel smashed in. The texture had a bite and topped with popcorn and more pretzel, was a fantastic combination of bite, creaminess and crunch.

The other flavour we tried was the strawberry pavlova (I made this one), this was a vanilla base, then with strawberries and meringue smashed in with the ice cream base. The creamy texture with the strawberries and meringue through it made it a good interpretation of the real thing. (Sorry guys, no close up of this one, my skills aren't as good as the Scroll peeps, so it wasn't very photogenic)

Overall I was impressed with the ice creams I tasted. Besides the novelty of the presentation, the flavours we tried had a great range of depth of taste and a array of textures.

 

The Thai

Located on Chapel st in Prahran it was recommended to us by one of D's colleagues. FU and A was in town so it created the perfect opportunity to go out for a big feed. we booked in advance and lucky we did. The place was packed and buzzing.

To start we got the coconut pancakes to share, this came with 3 flavours peanut, chives and corn. These were very light and the coconut filling was just solid enough. It definitely got our taste buds moving.

The first dish was the Larb Gai. The spicy mince chicken was tossed with crushed chilli, toasted rice, red onions. Very refreshing but more on the spicy side, I won't recommend this if you can't handle the heat. Most of us struggled with it, D was the only one who was able to power through to finish it

Then we moved onto the Crying Tiger with Jim Jaw. The rump steak was well marinated and served sliced. The meat was succulent and soft, when paired with sweet and sour chilli sauce, it was the perfect texture and taste.

Next was Gatium Soft Shell Crab. The crab was battered and deep fried, and a side of spicy lime, mint sauce.

Green curry was very aromatic. We got the chicken curry and it came with string beans, capsicum, bamboo shoots and eggplant. It was just the right amount of spice and the curry sauce was perfect on the coconut rice.

Final dish was the Stir Fry Broccoli with Crispy Pork. This is my must order dish whenever we go to a Thai restaurant. I just love Chinese broccoli and I love pork belly, this dish ticks off 2 boxes for me. The Thai had crispy pork which ticked the right box. However I found the serving size to be slightly small. For $14.90 I was really hoping for a larger plate of greens and pork belly.

Overall 17/20 I found all the dishes to be very appetizing, and authentic with a modern twist. They had friendly service and helpful with menu questions.

Mr Mister

When I heard they served green tea latte at Mr Mister, I made sure I was there to try it that very weekend. So D and I made our way to Mr Mister that very Saturday. We got there after 2pm so we didn't have too long of a wait.

Needless to say the first thing I ordered was the green tea latte, D got a normal latte. This didn't take long to come (almost too quick, because I was having a case of "I don't know what to order").

D was quite to choose and went with the pea and corn fritter. It came with beetroot cured salmon, zucchini, mint, watercress, dollops of beetroot puree, poached egg and baby beetroot. This was a very fresh taste for what normally is a oily fritter breakfast. I liked the combination of salad to lighten the balance and the cured salmon was delightful with it. I enjoy the creativity and found it to work really well.

I got the baked eggs because I spotted truffled leeks in the description. Besides leeks, it also came with mushrooms, brie and hazelnut with a side of toast. Feeling a bit naughty, I also added in chrizos to the side. This was going all perfectly, until I turned my toast over and the other side was charred black. I like to eat my baked eggs on toast so this made me sad. The rest of the baked eggs was great, very robust and strong flavours and the egg was still runny.

Overall 14.5/20 I liked the offer on the menu, and they did provide a good mix, besides the burnt toast I enjoyed the rest of the meal.

Tokyo Tina

If you read my blog often enough, you will know I do enjoy eating out A LOT. Tokyo Tina was one of the latest places I became obsessed with over Instagram (yes I am very active on it and maybe even slightly addicted). So it gave me the perfect excuse when D asked to eat somewhere new.

Located on Chapel St, Tokyo Tina is the poster child for that hipster restaurant with fusion food, cool decor and filled with people. Oh and yes! There is a "no booking system" unless you come with a full posse. D and I learnt the trick over the years is to show up after 8pm with only 2 people, chances are there will be a seat at the bar (we don't mind) or it's just a short wait. AND yes it did work for us this time as well.

Once seated we had a lovely waitress attend to us straight away to explain how the menu worked and to take our drink order. Melbourne weather (being freezing cold right now), turned me off getting my usual cocktail. We were quite unadventurous and just got water (yes, I know how boring... and wow I am on fire with my attitude today). 

On to the important part, to start we got 2 ceviche. First one was the Kingfish with wasabi and apple in a charcoal cone. The kingfish's freshness was enhanced with the apple. Only complain for me, it was too small, I wanted more!

The other ceviche was the Tasmanian salmon tartare. This was fresh diced salmon with cucumber and nashi served with a crispy skin cracker. Great combination of fresh, crunch and sweetness. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

For the salad we got the poached chicken with wombok, edamame and mizuna. This was my favorite dish of the night. The chicken was succulent and refined. Wombok was a good change from the typical salad leaf options. The edamame and mizuna took it to that next level. You need to try it to understand what I'm talking about.

As a side we decided on the spiced edamame. This felt like a bad choice but a good choice. Bad choice because we were very full and it came with the main, good choice because it was freaking tasty and we wanted to clear the the plate but we were full to the brim.

For main, D and I got a ramen each. I went with the Ash ramen which had a tonkotsu base, pork belly, soft boiled egg, seaweed and black tahini (basically grounded black sesame paste). This didn't quite hit the spot for me. I am more accustomed to my ramen broth being rich and thick. This didn't hit the spot and I wasn't liking the ash taste either. The actual noodle was the right softness and the pork belly was good but sadly the broth was a let down.

D got the classic, he has a tendency to judge a ramen with the classic. This was just like the ash ramen with the exception of the black tahini. It had the same issue though, the broth was just not rich and thick enough. Everything else was good but the key joining element, the broth, just didn't hit that spot.

We were going to say no to dessert but we got talking to Kha (2015 Masterchef contestant currently working at Tokyo Tina) and he said we had to try the Tokyo banana, so we took his word for it. It was a very small dessert (lucky it was small, we were very full at this point) consisting of banana mousse and salted caramel parfait in a banana shaped macaron. This was a great finish to the meal, it was just the amount of sweetness I needed and the salted caramel played that nice twist in the flavors.

Overall 16.5/20 Even though the ramen didn't quite hit the spot everything else went great. It left me wanting to go back to try more (and I will). The service was attentive and the creativity on the menu provides a good twist but still with enough familiarity and an array of choice.

Dukes Coffee Roasters

On a wet, wet Saturday, D, F and I ventured out here since none of us have tried Dukes before, and wanted something different (TK kept telling me, how him and his awkward boss loves this place). It's located on a busy part of Chapel St towards the Windsor end. Despite it being 2.30 when we arrived, there was still a 30 minute wait for a table.

Once we sat down we were greeted with a friendly waiter who was quick to grab our drinks order and return with warm coffee quickly. They acknowledge our wait and was fast to get our orders in, and food to stop our rambling stomachs. The coffees also arrived very quickly. My latte had a beautifully blend smooth taste with great aroma and just the right temperature soy (there is nothing worst than burnt soy milk).

F got poached eggs, crispy pork croquette with hollandise, apple and spinach on English muffin. The eggs were perfectly runny and the croquette was crispy without being too oily. Along with the apple crunchy and spinach to make you feel less guilty, this was exceptional menu item. Only wish there was more on the plate. For $17 it would have been good to see one more on the plate.

D got avocado hummus toast with dukkah, poached eggs and candied bacon. There is no denying, it was candied bacon which got our attention on the menu. The avocado hummus was a good way to jazz up traditional avo toast. The candied bacon was sweetened with honey. I was hoping for something more crispy, instead they were little oblong cubes of crisp outer/soft inner bacon and bacon fat. It was fun but it did not live up to my expectations. The dukkah added another texture element to the dish, I really liked this addition.

When I got the menu, the first thing I noticed was the crumpets with salted caramel, blueberries and hazelnut. The crumpets came drenched in blueberry and coated with a salted caramel/hazelnut sauce. This was the first time I had crumpets this way. The sourness of the blueberries matched the sweet and slightly saltiness of the sauce perfectly.  The airpockets within the crumpets caught all the sauce, making every mouthful a deliciously guilty taste.

Overall 15/20. Dukes was a delight, the staff was friendly and the coffee was fantastic. D, F and I all agreed that the food was good with great creative twist to classics.

NB:Only thing that hampered my experience was my umbrella getting stolen and we had to walk back to the car in pouring rain. So be careful of theives in this area.