Belle's Hot Chicken

Ok I will be the first to admit that I am horrible at dieting because I just love to eat things like fried chicken. So when a friend asked me where I wanted to go on Sat (cheat day of the week) I suggested Belle's without hesitation!

V and I go way back, been friends since I was 14, I don't see her much but when I do, I always have stuff to talk about. Then when you add D and F with their gaming talk, recipe for a perfect night out.

We visited the Belle's in Fitzroy (coz I'm like totes hipster =P) and was quite lucky in that we got a table within 10 minutes at 7.30pm on a Saturday.

Armed with a menu and decision making power, there was no way I could turn down the option of the Baller Bucket. So I picked the Bucket and a few more things to share.

To start we got the fried oysters with ranch and fennel. This was interesting, as you don't get too many fried oyster dishes out there, most places like to serve it raw. The fried coating with the creaminess of the oyster worked quite well, then it was cut through with the fennel. The ranch sauce was like an extra, you didn't really need it but it was nice to have.

In the bucket you get 16 wings, 4 sides, lot of pickles and sauce. We picked the Southern and the Hot for the wings; ranch and blue cheese for the sauce; and I will talk about the sides later. The chicken was very well marinated before they were fried. The hot chicken, is not for the faint hearted. Normally I can handle my heat reasonably well but I found myself to be progressively struggling with each wing. I started to rely on the ranch sauce to take away from some of the heat. It was very saucey, I found D and F to start having sauce drip down their hands and chin.

 The Southern was crisp and well seasoned. If you like your chicken no frills, this is the one for you.

We got all the sides to try. The coleslaw was a very homestyle and chopped up type of salad. Good flavor to it and it help balance out the hotness in the chicken. The mac and cheese broccoli and almond salad was my favourite. The freshness was welcomed sensation, after all the chicken. Chips were seasoned so I guess if you are after a beer/chip/chicken combo, this would be the way to go.

Mac and cheese was V's favorite, the cheesiness of the pasta was very guilty but satisfying.

Beans and bacon was our final side. The beans were a bit overcooked and more on the oily side, this was our least favourite side out of the lot.

We were too full and decided to skip dessert.

Overall 15/20 If you are after South American food, this is the place to go. Or if you just love fried chicken, you need to try this place out. It is also a good cheat day meal!

 

Miss Katie's Crab Shack

On the homebound leg of a road trip with Princess, Pasta and D we hit up Katie's crab shack after a doughnut binge at QVM. Katie's Crab Shack is something I've long wanted to visit. It's located right opposite QVM so it so close I couldn't say no to it.

We weren't very hungry so we just got a few things to share. First thing was Katie's Fried Chicken, as many of you know, I always have a soft spot for fried chicken. Katie's fried chicken came in a serving of 8 pieces with a side of fries and ranch dipping sauce. The outside was nice and crispy but it lacked  seasoning. Without the ranch dipping sauce it felt bland, I am use to fried chicken that has more 'oomph' in taste. It's not a bad fried chicken but more seasoning would have been preferred. The seasoning in the fries were good though. Their "Old Bay" seasoning was a good blend of salty goodness.

The crab burger was a blue swimmer crab patty, with slaw, herb mayo and a big pickle on the side. Patty was moist and had a lot of crab inside. This is more of a delicate burger and would be perfect with a big glass of cider.

Overall 13.5/20 I was blown away with what I ate but I do know, I didn't try their signature crab boil. With what I ate I was happy, I won't drive out there just to visit but if I was in the vicinity I won't mind dropping in again to try other things on the menu.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam

On a winter Monday night, we braved the cold and decided to try our luck here. Since it has opened it has become very popular in the Melbourne food scene and getting a table on Fridays and Saturdays can be a challenge. We were quite fortunate and were able to get a table with minimal wait. I was quite surprised to see so many dine there on a Monday night. There was a beautiful, casual ambiance to the restaurant, it felt like the perfect spot to 'catch up' with friends.

Being an American influenced eatery I couldn't pass the offer to try the chicken waffles. It came with pate, terrine and crispy chicken skin with orange sauce. It's all things bad for you but it was honestly delicious. The smoothness of the pate, with the crispiness of the chicken skin and that bit of tangy orange flavour. It was divine!

Broccoli and cheese profiteroles were something I have never tried before. The pockets of the pastry were filled with oozy cheese. The goat curd was delicate and not too overpowering, it went well with the broccoli sauce. It's very different from your typical appetizers.

For mains we got the Southern style pork belly chops. We were told that this was their signature dish. The pork belly was soft and full of fat with a crispy skin. Don't get it if you are on a diet. The layers of goodness comes with a lot of fat but otherwise, go wild!

Smoky beef brisket was another signature dish of theirs, the meat was juicy and just the right amount of smokiness. It wasn't outstanding but it was nice.

Final main we go to share was the Grit Fritters. These were sweetcorn fritters by name, but tasted more like sweetcorn gnocchi in flavour and texture. Topped with more sweetcorn, beetroot and cheese, I found myself really liking this dish. I love the light and sweetness the corn gave. This was my favourite, out of all the mains

For a side, we got the Dutch fries. The big potato chunks, came with a sriracha mayo as dipping sauce. If you like crispy, crunchy fries, I suggest you order a different side. This was a very heavy and big chip. I found it quite enjoyable but the party I was with, didn't agree with me. I liked the sriracha (chilli) mayo too, it inspired me to try making it at home.

Dessert, we couldn't decide so we got one of everything. 

Pumpkin doughnuts with bourbon cream didn't jump at me off the menu, but it did jump at me when I tasted it. The fluffy doughnut with the delight bourbon cream was a highlight. I never knew bourbon with cream could taste so good.

Chocolate delice reminded me of milo mousse with honeycomb. It was light and airy with a biscuit base and chunks of honeycomb.

Peanut butter waffle was served with raspberry sorbet and salted peanut caramel. It was as you would imagine it to be. Yes, it was very heavy, lucky we were sharing.

Lastly, there was the lemon mess. Lemonade granita, cream cheese sorbet and ginger crumble. Who knew they could work so well together. I just kept going back for more. It fresh and still creamy and a play on texture with the ginger crumble. Definitely recommend this.

If you don't plan to be as crazy as me and my friends (and maybe if there were less of you). I would pick the lemon mess and pumpkin doughnuts. Yum yum yum!

Overall 15.5/20 I was impressed overall. This is a place I would go back for another visit. There was a lovely atmosphere and the service was excellent, despite sitting in a corner, our waiter was attentive and friendly. If you were to come here make sure to book online via email, as we were told they don't attend to their phones very often.

Third Wave

Located on Cato Street off Prahan Central this place is fairly new on the scene in this area. But it's sister store in Port Melbourne has been around for over 2 years. This is a bruch place by day and by night it turns into an American diner.

The venue is very modern and brightly lit. The decor and atmosphere was also very comfortable and I can see how it will appeal to a brunch setting. Overall the seating arrangement was simple and it made it feel quite spacious considering the size of the place.

Being the pig that I am, I obviously went for the dinner menu and those famous BBQ ribs.

  We got a medium size BBQ pork ribs. We expected the servings to be fairly big because American diners have a tendency to do things larger than normal. When it came, the medium only consisted of 4 ribs. I was a tad shock but in the end the serving size was right between 2 people as we ordered other things to share. When we were ordering we were told that it is quite spicy so we were recommended to go mild...... I'm guessing the waitress can't really take spicy because what we tasted wasn't spicy at all. In saying that, it was still very robust BBQ sauce flavour. The meat just fell off the bone, it was delicious. Next time I go back I will definitely get it again but maybe with more kick next time.

As a side we got the Pancetta peas. Mmmmm butter does make things taste better, the peas are cooked with butter and onion. The menu described there to be mint in there too but I failed taste or smell any mint on mine. The pancetta on the peas were very fatty which I'm sure added more flavour. I found this quite a good side to compliment the ribs.

Also, got the smoked chicken salad to help balance out my diet (a bit.. maybe... kinda). This was served with fennel, leaves, cherry tomatoes, red onion, almonds and a coconut dressing. I can't say I've had those flavours together before but it did work together nicely.

After all that we walked away content but not full. When we were ordering we were advised that it would be enough food.... maybe I'm a large eater but I could've easily downed another plate of ribs. I really wanted to try the Reuben as well but we were worried it would be too much food for 2 people. Guess I'll have to go back now! You see from the pictures, we cleared all the plates!!

Overall I would rate it a 13.5/20. It's actually pretty expensive for the portion size and food type. It isn't exactly fine dining and  you are not looking at 1 main to fill a person up either. However with the food they did produce, it was done exceptionally well. PS. the Phoenix Ginger Beer goes amazingly well with the ribs if you would like a non-alcoholic beverage.