Eastern Dumpling House

After I posted the New Shanghai review last time, a few of my Shanghai friends suggested a few more places to try for pan fried pork buns. One of the few suggestions were Eastern Dumpling House located in Carnegie.

As a local store on the busy Koornang road, it is easy to find and not too much of a wait.

D and I only came here to grab a quick dinner. D was in the mood for some XLB so what the hell, might as well. This came steaming hot with 8 delicate soupy dumplings. I was quite surprise, I wasn't expecting much but it was soupy and tasty for the filling. Skin wasn't too thick and just right to pick it up by the tip with chopsticks and it won't collapse. Thumbs up here.

To make my give a bit of balance we also got oyster sauce broccoli. These didn't come out oily and wet like most other dumpling places. They tasted like they were steam and the veges retained the natural sweetness.

Lastly, the pan fried pork buns. These looked like any other pan fried pork buns on the plate but when I flipped them slightly I noticed sesame on the base. The buns has soft, crisp and slightly sweet casing. The filling had just the right amount of soup and the meat stuffing was cooked perfectly. They were really delicious and weren't too heavy. The sesame on the based gave it the extra texture which I really enjoyed.

Overall 14.5/20 I found all 3 dishes to be impressive and I think they set the standard high for pan fried pork buns!

Grossi Florentino - The Cellar Bar

This place, is an iconic Melbourne establishment's little sister. The Cellar Bar is the no frills, simple sister eatery of the famous Grossi Florentino. You walk in and you feel like you are in a little bistro in Italy. You are greeted with a friendly waiter, ready to escort you to a table or hustle you to the bar to wait.

To start we got some small tapas to share. My favourite cheese, percorino  was drizzled with a bit of honey. I'm normally not a hard cheese person but I have a soft spot for percorino, especially when there is added sweetness to it. 

As a bit of a balance we got the ricotta peas to feel less guilty. Sweet, buttery peas with ricotta on top.

As a entree, we got the minestrone soup to share. This came with lots of vegetables. It was nice and hearty. If you plan on getting this alone, it does not have much (if any) pasta in it, so it's not very filling.

We also got the mussels to share. This came with a tomato based broth with a bit of kick to it. It wasn't too overpowering, so the natural taste of the mussels were still in place.

I had the bolognese, and I this is one of my favourite places to get this classic. It's always so rich and meaty. I could eat this everyday.

D decided to be adventurous and get the pizzoccheri della valtellina with asiago. This was a cheese, potato, sage and cabbage pasta. Since it was baked and not too saucy, it had a much lighter taste compared to the bolognese.  D got food envy after he had a taste of my bolognese.

Having skipped lunch we also go the gargenelle with spiced ragu. The ragu was slightly spicy veal sauce with strong tomato elements. It's the perfect winter dish for a hungry stomach.

For sides we got the chips to share. These are thick cut and will fill you up fast, if you are having pasta as well. 

For dessert we got the bread and butter pudding. This was very heavy, so I won't recommend it after getting 3 pastas to share between 2.

The second dessert was the tiramisu, generous layers of coffee dipped sponge fingers and mascarpone. This reminded me of my time in Florence.

Overall 16/20 Cellar Bar never fails me when I'm after a no-frills, homey, traditional Italian feed. The pricing is very reasonable too, most mains/pasta are under $20. The service is attentive and always friendly.

The Kettle Black

When I discovered that Top Paddock had a sister store I was really excited and ventured my way to South Melbourne on one of the coldest days in the year. I got there around 2pm on a Saturday to find a very busy rush. I was told the wait was over 45 minutes for a table but I was determine to get that brunch into my belly.

After over an hour wait, D, K and I finally sat down. The staff were lovely and very appreciative that we waited in the cold. They got us our coffees promptly and even let us move from the bench to the table so we could take photos more easily. For a busy venue the staff were still friendly and ready to assist.

The coffees were 5 senses blend and was just right in terms of aroma and bitterness. My soy latte was perfect way to start my feast brunch

After waiting for so long we were quite famished and decided on four things to share; two sweet and two savory.

Our first savory was the mixed beans with home made tomato sauce served with bread. I also took up the pork sausage option to get a bit of protein on the plate. The sauce came in a beer bottle that was opened on the table. The tasted of ripe and juicy tomatoes and with just the right amount of seasoning. It went great with the beans on toast. The slightly spice from the sausage was also a delight with an added note to the senses. This was a good dish but in comparison to the others we ordered, this felt slightly average. It's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but if I ordered this alone and say someone else get the hotcakes or tataki trout, I would have food envy.

 The other savory option we picked was the tataki ocean trout with seaweed salad and poached egg. This was the most interesting dish and we all agreed it something we kept going back for more. The trout had a crispy skin and a delicate sweet seasoning. The kale/seaweed salad was a beautiful balance of texture. The egg just completed it, to be the perfect brunch dish.

For the sweets, I had to pick the ricotta hotcake. I love the one at Top Paddock so I just couldn't resist. The hotcake was fluffy and the amount of velvety double made it a heaven match. The berries gave it that sweet yet slight acidic element to break up the sweetness. This is a never fail option to order for brunch in my eyes.

To make myself feel less guilty and because it looked so pretty, we also ordered the coconut yogurt. This had a delightful coconut milkiness to it while maintaining the yogurt tanginess. It is a light breakfast but it's paired with grains, poached prickly pear, rhubarb and berries to keep you full. I really liked this one and would recommend it to people who want an alternative to burcher muesli. However if you are famished, maybe order something else.

There were also platters of brownies, muffins, slices and pies at the counter. My mouth was watering just looking at it, but sadly I was too full.

Overall 17.5/20 I really liked it and despite waiting over an hour it still felt like it was worth the wait. Good coffee and innovation at brunch matched with great flavours that make you want more. It is more on the pricy side but given it's location it's understandable.

Little Temper

Located on Burwood Rd, near St James Park, it is one of those places that you can easily drive by and not notice. It is a cosy, new cafe that caters for the local with good coffee and a  brunch menu.

I only discovered this place, because TK comes here for coffee every day, and has been raving on and on about their coffee. He was correct too.... the owner is more than happy to make the coffee to your liking and generally doesn't disappoint.

The ricotta hotcakes were serve with a raspberry compote, mascarpone and mint. The hotcakes were creamy with an evident ricotta taste. There was a very generous amount of blueberries, this made TK very happy. The berry flavours with creamy mascarpone was a perfect combination on the hotcakes. I just wish there was another hotcake on the plate.

Their avocado toast deserves a mention. It differs from your typical plain avocado and fetta on toast. This has corn/tomato salsa and chilli laced through the avocado and fetta to give it more texture and a small kick from the chilli. One of the better avocado toast that I have tasted in the last few years. However it did feel slightly incomplete without a poached egg (yes, I am greedy).


Overall 14/20. As a new kid on the Melbourne cafe scene, I was very impress with the food plated up. I would be keen to go back and try other things on their menu.

Shizuku Ramen

Located on Victoria Street in Richmond, in a usually Vietnamese cuisine oriented spot, I was fortunate enough to be invited here by the owner of Shizuku to try their ramen or ramen burger. Since I am a lover of ramen I couldn't turn the offer down.

Shizuku is a modern Japanese restaurant that offers a range of tapas style starters, as well as ramen (with two ramen burger options). The fit-out is unique and contemporary, with nice use of lights and speaker system. Seeing the large menu on offer, with a lot of the dishes appealing I got D, K and R to join me so I could try more.

For starters we got the the gyoza platter, shizuku spring rolls and the soft shell crab tempura to share.

The gyoza platter had an assortment of 4 styles; classic (pan fried, with a vinegar dressing), kenji (pan fried with char siu and a BBQ sauce on top), cali (pan fried with a kewpie mayo sauce) and sui (boiled, with sesame vinegar). If you are coming with friends and want to try more than one flavour, this is a good dish to share. I found the gyoza with the kewpie mayo to be my favourite out of the lot.

Shizuku spring rolls was something I looked over in the menu but later we were advised by our waiter it was something to try. It was a very interesting concept, it was stuffed with cheese and edamame, served with saffron and sweet chilli sauce. This took me by surprise because worked really well together.

The soft shell crab tempura was the standard deed fried crab seasoned with salt, pepper and shichimi. The crab had a lovely crisp coat of tempura with a very strong seasoning finish, definitely for someone who likes their food salty.

For mains D got the ramen burger; this choice was as much for novelty as it's not something you come across often (especially when the many ramen options sounded tempting). It was served with 2 ramen noodle patties holding together lettuce and miso eggplant. The ramen was crisp and the miso eggplant had a silky finish. It is not easy to eat as the burger just falls apart. If I had to be critical, it came quite poorly presented and wrapped up.

R got the signiture tan tan men. Rich soup base with mince pork and chewy noodles. The best ramen out of the 3 we tried.

K got shoyu ramen. We were advised that the soy soup base was home brewed. It came with the usual char siu and bamboo shoot combo. K will have more details about this one on her blog, once she gets around to writing the review up. This soup base was more delicate compared to the others.

I got the Hokkaido miso ramen. This was packed with char siu, corn, butter, sprouts and egg. This is not for the faint-hearted. The soup base was a  salty mixture of red and white miso. I would not recommend this it you prefer a lighter taste. This packed a salty punch from the miso and is reminiscent of the ramens you get in Japan.

After all the mains, we were so full and all on the verge of a food coma, so for dessert we just opted for something small. We tried the miso caramel ice cream and was quite pleased with it. The miso caramel worked well together and the sesame gave it that extra element.

Overall 14.5/20 I really liked the concept of their tapas and innovative side of their menu. Ramen is slightly pricier than other places around Melbourne, but worth trying (especially the signature ramen). The staff were friendly and welcoming, make a good place for a catch up with friends in winter.