Lune Lab experience

If you live in Melbourne and you haven't heard of Lune... then you must be living under a rock. Being crowned the best croissants in Melbourne (or dare I say Australia ... or potentially even the world), it is place that foodies from all across the world go running to when in Melbourne.

For some die hard fans (such as myself) to be able to get my hands on Lune Lab tickets was a very sacred achievement.

With Lune Lab, it is a 3 course degustation. The first course is always the same, it is a classic croissant fresh out of the oven but the second and third course vary by the season.

The ticket price are steep and I wont deny it is a lot to pay for 3 croissants. However if you love (eating) croissants as much as I do, then you might want to hang in there and keep reading.

The first course 

First croissant is one that is 10 minutes out of the oven. Your host will give you a choice from a huge tray, if you like your croissants softer then you go for something in the middle of the tray or if you prefer it more crispy then the edge of the tray. I went with my trusty food buddy (my lifelong eating partner) and tried one of each. When you taste one after another then the differentiation is  there, however if you just taste one, then it is much harder to call out that difference. Either way you pick, you will still taste fresh out of the oven croissant is still warm and the layers of the pastry is defined and fluffy. This is what I would term buttery goodness.

The second course
Second course is the savory croissant. Fortunately for me, I visited during truffle season and had a lovely surprise awaiting me. The dish was Beef Bourguignon. This was a classic croissant served as a classic French dish. It came with a red wine jus, mash potato and generous shavings of truffle shaved in front of you. The croissant was baked perfectly and you cut through layers of pastry and paired with a perfectly cooked beef. The kale crisp adds that extra texture to balance off the dish. I am a tad sad that this was seasonal. As I finished my dish I was thinking to myself that I  am not sure when I will get another chance to taste this again (if only they offered seconds).

The final course
Final course was a Yuzu tart. This is the Lune version of a tart that is made from croissant pastry.

During the whole experience you will have bottomless coffees and hot chocolate. You can drink yourself silly, like my partner did and be very energetic for the rest of the day. The staff won't judge you and be very attentive to ensure all your coffees/hot chocolates arrive promptly.

Final words
I would highly recommend this experience and would go again. If you are questioning why would you pay $60+ for 3 croissants... well this is why

• creativity and thought that has gone behind the process to deliver something exceptional on the plate
• dedication and art of finessing the details of a perfectly crafted croissant
• taste of something that you cannot easily get anywhere else
• being able to taste croissants done in a very different way
• being able to buy as many of the croissants as you like without having to line up
• truely experience and taste the dedication that Kate Reid and her team has gone to, in order to perfect and elevate the humble croissant.

Oh also, I would recommend the first session over the second session. By the end of our session, some of the croissant varieties have sold out. If you don't want to miss out, best to wake up a bit earlier.

Lune Lab tickets need to be bought in advance and sell out very fast. So if you want to go, head to the Lune website and find the next lot of ticket release, set a reminder on your phone and just have super fast internet when the ticket release day comes. Good Luck!!

Additional rambling notes: I have been a loyal Lune fan (since the Elwood days). I honestly think it is the best croissant I have ever tasted in my travels. I set out on a food adventure on most my holidays and yet to find something that comes close to Lune. Would love to hear other people's Lune or general croissant experiences. 

Good Egg

In Melbourne we have a lot of specialty cafes and restaurants, from BBQ to waffles to Thai breakfast. There is one more to add to the mix now, Good Egg. Located in South Melbourne, they celebrate their hero ingredient the egg in every dish. The yellow and white interior is a good example of how much they worship the egg. Since I was at the egg shop, I had to sample some of their offering.

Scotched egg. The outside was perfectly cook, the pork and fennel with panko crumb was just the perfect naughty treat. The egg inside still had a runny yolk, paired with the roasted tomato relish. Yes I went back for seconds! It was a steal too, at $5.50.

Gorgeous fresh backdrop of the shop, makes it a nice vibrant atmosphere to catch up with friends. Maybe catch up over The “Avo” with it's Mexican flavours, (sliced avo, egg, roast corn salsa, corn chips, jalapenos and lime aioli). The fresh, crisp, creamy, sweet and zesty flavours all come together in every mouthful. If you get greedy, you might ask for some extra corn chips too.

If you want to be more of an 'good egg' they also do an awesome miso soft boiled egg salad. It comes as a  watercrest, broccolini, tamari roasted nuts, red rice and spiced yoghurt salad. A nice non traditional approach to the egg salad.

If you are more on the hungry the B&;E and the Wagyu burger gets my vote. B&E is your classic bacon and eggs with swiss cheese,  house of parliament sauce and mayo. The wagyu burger is a wagyu patty bacon, egg, sharp cheddar, dill pickle lettuce, BBQ sauce and mayo. The patty is juicy perfection and definitely hits the hungry spot without the oily feeling.

Overall, I love the vibe and food Good Egg has to offer. I have since been back to visit a few times, I also learnt that they use local produce. Their eggs are from Real Eggs and their bread is from Woodfrog bakery.... Now it all makes sense on why I love their eggs and burgers so much!

Rockpool Bar & Grill - Melbourne

Rockpool is one of those institutions that most people in Melbourne and Sydney would have heard of, if you haven't then you must be very good at hiding yourself from mass media juggernauts Masterchef. With every institution comes curiosity for those who haven't dine there. Well hopefully I can help you satisfy some of your curiously.

I am fortunate enough to have dined at Rockpool a number of times over the years for various celebrations. I will share my most recent experience with you. I don't get many nights out with Doggy Mummy (DM) so when I do we like to go somewhere nice especially if it's a celebration, Rockpool also happens to be one of DM's favourite places to dine at, so it armed me with a reason to go there.

To start we got a pasta each, DM wanted the lobster omelette but unfortunately it was not on the menu (their menu changes daily) so instead she opted for the Abalone, Brown Mushroom Pasta. For those who are unaware, abalone is a considered a seafood delicacy and is hard to come by. The abalone was cooked with brown butter and bottarga. Besides saying I wanted more, I don't think I could fault the dish.

I ordered the Wagyu Bolognaise. This is one of my favourite things to order here, Bolognaise is one of my favorite food and there is nothing I like better than a classic done with top grade ingredients. I like to consider this a guilty pleasure and treat to myself.

For mains we ordered a streak each. 36 month grass fed cooked medium rare for me. This was cooked perfectly, the meat was tender and it makes me wonder why I would go anywhere else for steak.

DM went with the 36 month rib eye medium rare. It was highly marbled with distinctive beef flavours.

Sides we got dutch potatoes sauteed with wagyu fat, garlic and rosemary. We really didn't need it but I couldn't say no to potato with wagyu fat. It was fluffy and had a great hit of flavour.

To balance out the guilt we also got the Radicchio salad. Good green crunch to cut through the heaviness with the rest of our meal.

For dessert, DM went with the Creme Brulee (I really had no idea how she was still fitting this in). It had the perfect burnt sugar top and paired with candied walnuts

I opted for the petite fours. A nice selection to finish my meal, I love a good canele and this definitely hit the spot.

Overall, I still love it and highly recommend any steak lovers to come and try it (if you haven't before).


 

Aqua S

Ice cream is one of my favourite foods. No matter the weather, I will always have appetite for some ice cream action. This was no different for Aqua S, and on a cold winter's night, I decided to venture out to QV to visit the recently opened store.

I have been to Aqua S in Sydney so the concept was nothing to me. However, I do love soft serves and have a soft spot for all the novelties it comes with.

D loves their sea salt so I got the sea salt and pandan flavour with fairy floss, popcorn, popping candy and toasted marshmallow. I will admit I probably dig go over-board with the topping but it was worth it. The pandan flavor was fragrant but I would have liked it to be strong as I love all things pandan flavoured. The sea salt was not as salty compared to what I had in Sydney, however, it was still quite a good balance with the sweetness but just a touch more salt would have been perfect. 

Overall it is a fun concept. It is more on the pricey side; my order cost me $8.50 (I could have got a large soft serve for an extra 50 cents but I chose not to) but I accept it's the price for creativity and getting to taste a flavour I can't readily get elsewhere.

The Brass Coq

The Brass Coq is located on 470 Little Lonsdale, and I will be frank and admit that I had never heard of it until my friend told me about this place. As I don't work near that area, I will never walk past it either. However I am very glad that I did find out about it. It's a quirky, modern setting and they set out to do 'good home styled' Vietnamese food. I love Vietnamese food, so when O and A told me about it I said yes straight away.


We started off with Spring Rolls. They were crispy on the outside and had a mixed pork and prawn filling. Along with the fish sauce it was a good start to the meal.

VFC (Vietnamese Fried Chicken) were finger licking good. The crispy batter over the chicken ribs then paired with chilli, fried shallots, spring onions and nouc mam glaze. It was a great fusion interpretation of the classic fried chicken. I loved it and I will be definitely getting this again on my next visit.

Green Papaya Salad was fresh and a good way to balance out the other fried starters. The citrus from the grapefruit and the nouc mam cut through the heaviness of the other dishes and the herbs, carrot and papaya gave that fresh bite.

Grilled Pork Neck Skewers - succulent and marinated pork neck with crushed peanuts and served wrapped in lettuce and noodles. Reminds me of the amazing street food in Asia.

Pig ears chips. Thinly sliced pig ears deep fried. Personally I wasn't a fan, but I can understand the appeal as alternative to fried potato chips.

For mains we started with Hanoi Lamb Curry which was interesting. I won't say it was my favorite, as I found it too salty for my liking. If it wasn't so salty it would have been a great main, the lamb was soft, and the coconut curry was smooth and gave the curry great depth of flavour.

Steak with pho jus and triple cooked chips was the next main we shared. I can't say I have ever had pho jus before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The steak was cooked medium with a just pink centre. The pho jus was rich but it didn't remind me of pho, it tasted more like an aromatic gravy. I quite enjoyed it, especially when I dipped the triple cooked chips into it.

Beanshoots was done just the way my mum would stir fry it; with a bit of garlic and ginger. Basic, warming and I can tell mum I ate my vegetables!

Durian & Passionfruit parfait. I know not everyone is a fan of durian so this may not appeal to everyone. For those who do, you are in for a treat! The smooth durian with a pop of passionfruit. Who knew you could make durian taste so sexy?

Banana pudding was steamed with palm caramel and served with coconut custard and praline. At this point I was so full but it was so spongy and soft... I think I almost killed myself trying to eat it..... but it was worth it.

Overall I was really surprised with the calibre of food plated up. I spoke to one of the owners there and his vision was just to show Melbourne what good home cooked Vietnamese is like. I think he smack on delivered. I enjoyed my meal and I can't wait to go back.

They also have some mean cocktail making skills too.... we had quite a few drinks there. You wouldn't pick it but I would definitely recommend you try their cocktails.

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!

Tim Ho Wan

So the wait is finally over and Tim Ho Wan is in Melbourne, after months of delay with their opening.  Yum Cha is a common meal in Hong Kong and to have a Michelin star one in Melbourne was really exciting. Located on Bourke St, it's a central location and easy to get to. However be prepared to wait. I went on a Friday night with O, A and D (yes I thought yum cha on a Friday night was a good way to avoid crowds... I was wrong) and after 1.5 hours of waiting we were finally seated.

It was straight into business and we got ordering. First was the chicken, sausage mushroom pot rice. It was a single serve with pieces of chicken, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushroom on soy sauce flavoured rice. It is quite heavy, so would recommend to share it as you normally do at yum cha anyway.

Second was the Pan Fried Turnip Cake. Turnip cake is one of my favourite dishes to have at yum cha, Tim Ho Wan's turnip cake was more on the soft side, not as firm as other places. Full of flavour but not enough diced Chinese sausage for my liking.

Third was Chicken Feet. This came braised in abalone sauce. You can tell it has been braised for hours, as the abalone sauce penetrates into the chicken feet. A and D both liked this dish (I'm not a fan of chicken feet myself).

Fourth was Har Gow. Balls of prawn filling in a crystal skin. Standard yum cha and they do it well here.

Fifth was Black Bean Sauce Pork Ribs. The meat was marinated and soft and the sauce not too oily. Similar to the Har Gow, it was done well but nothing too special.

Sixth was Spinach Prawn dumplings. This was my favourite out of all the dumplings; the f;avour of the spinach was delicate and balanced out the prawn well. As you can tell from the picture, it was a generous filling and full of flavour like the other dumplings.

Seventh was Century Egg Congee. I am a big congee (rice porriage) fan, so it's one of those things I just love to order at yum cha. THW's version of the yum cha classic was generous with century egg and the pork was well salted. Congee consistency was very smooth too.

Eighth was Fish Maw. This is definitely for the fish lover. I would consider it silky however my counterparts called it slimy. This dish divided the table's opinion - the conclusion being that if you like fish then you will like this dish.

Ninth was the famous Baked Pork Buns. Crispy external bun, filled with BBQ pork. I can easily eat 3 of these myself. Definitely a Michelin dish here and something you should order from THW.

Tenth was Lo Mai Gai. Steamed sticky rice with mushroom, Chinese sausage, pork, dried scrimp, salted egg wrapped in lotus leaf. I didn't mind this dish and it was quite a generous serving.

Eleventh was Beefball with Beancurd skin. Marinated beef was a big meaty bite (strong flavours) and on the heavy side.

Twelfth was Vermicelli Rolls with Sesame Sauce. This came lightly pan fried, with hoisin and sesame sauce drizzled on top. The sweet hoisin and sesame worked perfectly together.

Overall a very satisfying yum cha. Those pork buns were an absolute delight as was the vermicelli rolls. They don't have as much variety as other yum cha restaurants, but that didn't bother me too much. Service was average but I didn't really expect any different from a busy Chinese restaurant.