Pork and Prawn Dumplings (Siew Mai)

On weekends we would have lunch with our grandparents and most times we would have dim sum or yum cha. A nice tradition that we still uphold till this day. Dim sum is a great way to try many things in small portions and accommodate picky eaters. However, siew mai has always been a childhood favourite of mine and the first thing we would order at a dim sum place when the steamer carts stroll by. 

Basically, siew mai is minced pork and prawn wrapped up with wanton wrappers into small flower like dumpling that you can easily pop into your mouth. Since it was my first attempt at making siew mai, I watched a few videos to find the best way to make them. I found a few that I liked and tweaked them to my liking. I was surprised at how easy it was to make these delicious little morsels. Recipe is down below! If you're having trouble folding the dumplings, I suggest youtubing it to have a feel.

P.S.: If you have extra, you could freeze them and steam them another day as a snack. But take note that it might take a little longer to cook.

Fancy Hanks BBQ

Corn Bread, Brisket, Pork Ribs

Fancy Sanga.

Fancy Hanks has been on my list of places to try for a while now. So, after doing some shopping at the Queen Victoria Market, we decided to do some grubbing. American style! With some good ol' BBQ. I love myself some BBQ.

With skylights and a spacious seating area, Fancy Hanks' location is perfect for any morning with sunlight shining down through its windows. Looking around at other diners' meals made everything on the menu look very tempting. Especially with the smell of smokey barbecue in the air! So, we decided to order almost everything on the menu. So, we had the brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, beer can chook and the Fancy Sanga with a side of corn bread and coleslaw all served on a tray. And if you like things spicy they have a huge variety of sauces to go with your choice of meats. But do approach with caution as they can be pretty spicy! We would highly recommend their smokey BBQ sauce while chomping down on your meal too.

This might sound too good to be true, but everything was delicious and extremely juicy! The Fancy Sanga was filled with juicy slices of brisket drenched in their BBQ sauce and accompanied with some onions and cheese. Just the perfect ratio of meat to bread, I thought.

Then, we had the ribs which had a good char and was really the definition of "fall off the bone tender". As for the beer can chook, the chicken was juicy all over whether it was the drumstick or even the thigh! A rather hard to perfect as the drumstick is not as thick as the thigh. Also, the luscious chicken skin packed with a smokey flavour. Ahh, perfect.The pulled pork was equally as tasty too.

I know at this point you're probably thinking, "I'm guessing everything's good there", but we really did enjoy our meal there.  And not forgetting the brisket had a good balance of juicy meat and a thin layer of fat that made it so delectable. A slight change of flavour to our meal was the refreshing coleslaw and fresh cornbread that helped cut the bountiful amount of meat. Freshly out of a cast iron skillet, the cornbread was crispy around the edges and nicely moist in the middle. The perfect touch to our meaty meal.

While the serving style may look like scraps of food to many, the three of us were so stuffed at the end of our meal making it a little difficult walking down the stairs to exit the dining area. It was definitely worth it though! They're currently located at The Mercat, just a stones throw away from the Queen Victoria Market. It's difficult to miss the colourful drawings signaling to you that there's BBQ waiting for you upstairs.

A Little Bird Told Me

 Toasted Meatball Wrap with Fontina Cheese and Tomato Salsa.

Grass-fed Rare Roast Beef with Gruyere Béchamel, Dijon Mustard, Onion Jam and Rocket.

A Little Bird Told Me is a little café with floor to ceiling glass windows hidden on the quiet street of Little Lonsdale. I have been there a few times before and they serve delicious coffee, cakes and pastries. I found their pastries and cakes are a little overpriced for what you get, but you have to treat yourself a little once in a while right? The carrot cake and pistachio brownie are some of my favourites. The carrot cake was really moist and wasn't overpowered by cream cheese frosting. As for the brownie, it's fudgey texture is generously laced with pistachios.

Recently, they introduced a brunch menu, which I was rather excited about. Sadly, I was rather disappointed. It was very limited and they had sandwiches that didn't really wow me. The meatballs in the wrap were pretty juicy but it was a little too mediocre for me compared to other cafés. The roast beef sandwich was a little too overwhelmed with mustard. At least the sandwich was toasted well and my iced mocha saved the day. Hopefully they expand their menu further! Definitely willing to give it another go. 

Blackberry and Apple Crumble

I had never tried blackberries before. Maybe in candy or jams but never fresh. When I was strolling in the market and spotted some fresh blackberries with a sign that said "very sweet", I instantly knew I had to try them. So I excitedly bought 2 boxes of these beautiful delicate berries. Eager to find out how fresh blackberries tasted like, I hurried home, washed it under the tap and tasted one. Little did I know, I was in for a rude awakening. They tasted so sour, it was as if I was eating a lemon wedge! Darn that deceitful sign!

Even after my disappointment, I knew I didn't want to let these berries go to waste, so I decided on a crumble. Something that didn't take much time to make. Luckily, I had some apples lying around to give it some texture and body.

When I cooked the filling, the berries bled which dyed each piece of apple with a beautiful deep purple colour. It looked so luxurious, much like a piece of purple velvet. The crumble was buttery and nutty with the addition of the toasted almonds. I devoured it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cut the extra tang from the blackberries. Hot crumble and cold vanilla ice cream, need I say more?

Although I had this sour experience with the blackberries, I definitely didn't regret buying them. Or else I'd never try this recipe and share it with you guys. But I'll learn from this experience and be more cautious when a sign says "very sweet".

Operator 25

Balinese marinated pulled pork on a brioche with sweet potato wedges. 

Pressed Lamb Shoulder and Belly.

House Benedict with extra hash brown.

Veal Osso Buco.

Operator 25 is a gem hidden in a heritage building on Wills Street. When you first step in you are greeted by the friendly staff and a display of pastries. At Operator 25, the café layout is very spacious with sparse seating arrangements. In our opinion, it is rather refreshing compared to cafés which are too crowded and suffocating, as if some one is breathing down your neck, making it a little difficult to enjoy your meal.

We've been here several times and each time, the food does not disappoint. Dishes are always beautifully plated on organic looking plates and is nothing short of delicious. Another reason why I go to Operator 25 is their sweet potato wedges. They are to die for! The perfect crisp on the outside and tender sweet potato on the inside makes a trip there oh so worth it. (I'm salivating right now..) Dishes worth trying are the Pressed Lamb Shoulder and Belly or the Veal Osso Buco when available as it was a special of the day. Ah, I still recall the tenderness of the veal and even the mash potato was silky too.

Have a look at their website if you need anymore persuading!

Operator 25
Wills Street, Melbourne CBD.

Pickled Vegetables

After a long day at uni or work, why not make your meal a little bit more tangy. I've made these a few times before and it's definitely an easy way to brighten up what I'm cooking. It goes great as a condiment to accompany pork buns, salads or burgers. Plus, it makes your food look more appetizing with its bright colours.

This is a fast version which takes no time at all to put together. I always make it right before I start cooking my main meal and the pickles are ready when I'm done! You could try this recipe with some radishes or maybe add some chillies to give it an extra kick if you're a spice lover. Or you could make this recipe your own by tweaking it to your own preferences. 

Anjú Bar & Restaurant

Bibimbap. Korean Ramyun. Beef Bulgogi Slider.

Beef Bulgogi Slider.

Calamari Pancake.

Fried Chicken with Slaw.

Anju offers a take on Korean Fusion fare which is rather enticing. I've been to Anjú twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. From what I know, they have different menus set for lunch and dinner. The interior at Anjú was notably done very well with an open kitchen concept that allows diners to watch the chefs in action when seated by the bar. It's like culinary entertainment while you dine!

Anjú's food is definitely a step away from typical Korean food but familiar components of Korean dishes are still noticeable.  It is definitely not your traditional Korean food as the dishes come in somewhat of a western twist. Unfortunately, their lunch menu did not intrigue me much and the bibimpap was a little disappointing as the beef ribs were a little on the dry side and a little too tough. Nevertheless, the best part of the meal were the sliders!  Definitely worth a try. (Had it the both times I went there.)

Despite the disappointing first impression over lunch, I decided to give Anjú another try for dinner just cause they were the new kids on the block. After all, we all deserve a second chance, don't we?

I must say the second visit was definitely better than the first. The dishes offered for their dinner menu were catered more for sharing. This time around we ordered the calamari pancake, fried chicken and the sliders since we enjoyed it. While the calamari pancake was on the thicker side compared to the traditional Korean pancake, it did have a good crisp and was pretty decent. The fried chicken was covered in a sweet chilli sauce, sesame seeds, peanuts, coriander, spring onions and served with some pickled radishes which I thought was a great compliment to the fried chicken.

Although the dishes are pretty pricey, I would say it's pretty worth it for sharing. 

Sunday Brunch

One of our personal favourite Sunday activities is brunch. It's the meal that's in between breakfast and lunch, so you can still catch up on some zzz's and enjoy satisfying breakkie meals! It has to be heavy enough to sustain you till dinner (or tea), but light enough that you don't walk out feeling like a stuffed potato. Usually we would head out for brunch but today we decided to eat in and keep it simple. So, we headed to the Queen Victoria Market on this sunny Sunday and picked up a few sausages from the meat section, fresh ciabatta from the delicatessen and some chives to accompany our scrambled eggs. 

I watched this video a while back by none other than the great Gordon Ramsay and have always used his technique ever since!  It's an easy step by step video that teaches you how to make your very own scrambled eggs. Definitely worth a try. So, maybe next weekend, which happens to be Easter, you could impress a certain someone by cooking them a simple brunch. Have a great Sunday!

The Grain Store

Pan seared scallop, garden pea puree, saffron veloute, boudin noir crumbs, crackling.

Duck breast, burnt blood orange caramel, carrot puree, baby beets, spiced pearl potato.

Crispy pork cheek, butternut squash, pardón pepper, roasted plums, pear and cider relish.

Frozen peanut butter parfait with brûléed figs, strawberry compote and a lime and cucumber syrup.

I've heard good things about The Grain Store and have been dying to try it. I knew it was more on the pricey side but we decided to have a go at it. When we first stepped through the doors, we were greeted by the friendly staff and were seated right outside the kitchen, which I didn't mind. It was rather exciting watching the chefs cook our meal. The atmosphere was lovely as well with the candles flickering making it very romantic. 

We ordered our meals and were served some fresh focaccia bread with olive oil. I took a bite and I was surprised at how a piece of bread could be so tasty. Crusty on the outside and soft as a pillow on the inside. I was in bread heaven! We were definitely off to a good start. 

For starters, we had the seared scallops, which were cooked to perfection. The flavours were balanced well with the salt from the scallops, sweetness from the pea pureé and a slight tang with some pickled vegetable of some sort. (Making myself a little hungry writing about this.)

Our main meals were very hearty and full of different vegetables that complimented the dishes very well. The duck breast was very tender and the carrot puree was delightful. It had a faint taste of caramel, which I like. As for the pork cheek, it was very rich but the shaved zucchini lightened up the dish. 

After a great starter and main course, we knew we had to try a dessert. We were pretty full at this point but we just had to try more. We had a light peanut butter parfait with strawberries and a very interesting cucumber syrup. It was a clever take on a pb&j, which was light and a great way to end our meal at The Grain Store. 

We would most definitely return and try their brunch menu!

Mister Close

Waffle On. Corn and chive waffles with smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and avocado mayo.

The GFF. Poached Eggs with potato rosti, bacon and a roasted tomato and rocket salad.

Mister Close is located on one of the busiest streets in Melbourne's CBD, Bourke Street. It's definitely a cafe that is worth the visit. With a wide selection of food that's reasonably priced, you'd be sure to find something that you fancy. Plus, they have a menu that changes daily as well to keep things exciting.

I had this cafe on my list of places to try and has always been in the back of my mind. We made a spontaneous trip there when our plans turned sour and based on my visit, I would definitely recommend the Waffle On. I saw another customer having it and I immediately said to myself "That's what I'm having!" And I was not disappointed. I had a choice between the salmon or honey roasted ham to go with the savoury waffles. The scrambled eggs were perfect and the salmon went perfectly with the waffles.

As a person who enjoys cheese, I rather enjoyed The GFF as the dish was laced with parmesan. The salad was very robust but the poached eggs cut the sharp parmesan well. But I wouldn't recommend it if you're not fond of cheese.

Overall, my visit was very pleasant and I would definitely make another trip there! I think it might even be one of my new favourite brunch places.