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.