Eat Like Ushi

After last month's traipse around Hobart for the local delicacy scallop pies (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/salamanca-bakehouse-hobart-01-2016) I was surprised and happy to discover Apollo Bay had its own reputed one.

After having dinner at La Bimba the previous evening and being introduced to the Bakery's smooth brioche, I was excited to return the next day for a scallop pie.

There's two types available - mornay and curry. Sticking to Hobart's tradition I tried the curry version for a high sticking price of $10. Although on the small side, the pie is excellent. Crisp pastry (would prefer a little thicker) with nice curry and 3 or 4 small but thick scallops with excellent strong flavour. It's expensive and not the most convenient to get to, but I dare say I liked it more than Hobart's offerings.

There's a huge stack of other pies to pick from as well as some bread (including a roasted pumpkin sourdough which I'm hoping may rival the outstanding tangy, spongy version occasionally sold at Crust Bakery in Fyshwick).

Every beach (actually every city) needs an ice cream/gelato place. That one in Apollo Bay is Dooley's (aka The Ice Cream Tub). There's two things that are quite intimidating about the place when you walk in - one is the queue (not as large as Messina for example, but considering the relative market population) and the other is the enormous number of awards hanging on the walls.

The flavours that tend to win the awards are chestnut, licorice, lemon curd, vanilla, coconut passionfruit and many more.

I couldn't imagine licorice appealing so much so I tried a small sample. It's creamy and lightly flavoured and unexpectedly pleasant. Having said that I don't think I could handle an entire scoop.

What I do settle on is chestnut (a smooth mild flavour) and lemon curd (essentially a potent lovely lemon cheesecake flavour). What is distinctive is how extraordinarily creamy the ice creams are, but I suppose that's the key difference in fat content between ice cream and what I usually buy in gelato. It's incredible and some of the best ice cream I've had. Overall I think I prefer gelato in being more dense and discrete but this ice cream makes it a tough call.

They unfortunately didn't have pistachio that day so I'll have to take a raincheck on that.

I'd read many great reviews about Belle's, moreso from essential Melbourne eats for 2015. As much as I go through chicken phases (whether it be Nando's, local roasts from various shops and supermarkets, the occasional KFC) I must admit that in recent years chicken doesn't excite me like other meats. It may be my own shift to slow cuts and there really isn't any slow cooking chickens (if you exclude the brining, smoking and ridiculous low heats of Heston).

Belle's may have garnered a little more interest for me when I heard a girl I know may have been dating the family member of whoever started up Belle's (maybe her name is Belle?).

There was an initial decision to eat a leftovers home lunch, but this changed by the coincidence of driving along Gertrude Street at lunchtime and so it began.

- Cardamom lemonade $6 - housemade tart lemonade with a mild hint of cardamom. Refreshing;
- Fried oysters with pickled fennel & ranch $18 - small crisp oysters but losing the ocean flavour I enjoy them so much for;
- Dark meat (drumstick & thigh) with 3 bean salad, red peppers & dill $18 - great meat, extraordinarily crispy batter coating with nice flavour. The salad was a little bland compared to the spice of the batters;
- Tenders with old bay fries $16 - very soft chicken pieces with a slightly softer batter. Good fries with a similar spice mix.

I'm not sure what the spice coating is but I'd think it contains salt, pepper, milk powder (or some kind of cheese powder which is the aftertaste I had) and paprika. I'm sure there's another 20 spices in it that I can't discern. 

I ordered medium heat which was quite minimal. Housemade hot sauce provided quite a kick of vinegar and a definite extra bit of chilli. To me it seemed similar to Nando's periperi but less thick. It wasn't unpleasantly hot but I didn't think I needed it for the fries nor chicken, but others who like dipping things may disagree.

Thanks for redeeming my faith in chicken.

Next time I would order dark meat with old bay fries and an extra wing or tender. I might try hot instead to medium to see how well I handle it.

03-2016

I was in the area for a housewarming and the icing on the cake was the thought of the opportunity to return to Belle's. On this occasion the new items tried were the special of Mac & Cheese (very thick, cheesy with distinct bacon taste and not overly rich) and Wings with Pickles (wings had great flavour and crunchy coatings and the pickles were nice too but probably a bit too much considering the dishes come with 4 pickles already).

I also had the dark meat with fries and it reinforced my preference for fries over another side (although if dining alone, another/additional side may be necessary to offset the salty heavy flavours) and also how much I like the dark meat's combination of crisp seasoning but also chunks of pure meat (which the wings don't have). Both are great but I'd probably give the edge to the dark meat, as 4 wings seemed like potentially too much flavouring. I also went for medium again and so will need the upgrade to hot as I felt barely any heat at all.

Iced tea had a sweet strong peppermint flavour and I enjoyed it more than the cardamom lemonade from last visit.

This trip reaffirmed my thoughts of Belle's having some of my favourite (and the best) chicken I've eaten anywhere.

My first experience with Dainty Sichuan was quite a disappointing one (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/dainty-sichuan-food-melbourne-01-2014). It was the Box Hill branch and for lunch we had a hotpot that seemed more MSG than quality. I left wondering how this chain had received accolades proclaiming some of the best food in Melbourne and if their a la carte dishes would be better. Since then I have enjoyed Hunan and Sichuan food more. I enjoy it much more than the typical Cantonese that most people associate with Chinese food. Even though Mao's on Brunswick Street and their fried mantou only lives in my dreams, the many dumpling places and Red Chilli Sichuan (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/red-chilli-sichuan-canberra-12-2013) helped this along much over the past 2 years.

Finally I booked at the mothership in South Yarra to see

- Bang Bang Chicken (chilli & Szechuan pepper, sweet & sour) $19.8 - a cold dish of delicious chicken and vegetables slivered together;
- Cumin lamb ribs $26.8 - as usual my favourite with thick (fatty) pieces of meat and great potent flavour;
- Fish-flavoured eggplant (pickled chilli, sweet & sour) $19.8 - not really fishy, but just good eggplant fried with soft insides;
- Fried pork slices $28.8 - tasty pork without too much fat served with chewy bits of bread;
- Fried fish $42.8 - the fish was nice and like many Sichuan places, when served with that many chillies, they aren't actually hot. Some of the vegetables in it are a little oddly textured.

It may be obvious that the ribs and eggplant were my choice (as would mapo tofu if I had my way) and I liked these dishes the best. I don't mind pork belly and fried fish but have noticed in Sichuan places I don't tend to like them as much (and if the added bits like vegetables and breads aren't that good, the price becomes higher than it already is).

I think it would be silly to suggest they don't enhance flavours with the good old 621. I've even heard suggestions that some of these restaurants (not Dainty Sichuan specifically) may re-use chillies (otherwise they go through a LOT) and that could be why some dishes with so many chillies aren't actually that hot. I couldn't refute either of these claims but suffice to say the food tastes very good and I'll be back hopefully at a time when I have more control over the ordering.

In the meantime, where's my Fuchsia Dunlop books?

I'm starting to like it around here. Maybe it's the cheap produce at the markets or the cheap ethnic variety of restaurants around. I kinda like the new place I'm living in too if I'm honest. I don't think I'd heard of Seddon (let alone ever been there) up until a couple of weeks ago. It's a pleasant area with quite a lot of cafes within a small proximity and somewhere I can see hipster-ing up in the near future (some are there already).

Mixed in there is a well rated Japanese place. After my recent return to Samurai (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/samurai-melbourne-01-2016) some extra cheap Japanese food wouldn't go astray. Since I had to pickup nearby dry cleaning (the reason I visited Seddon for the first time) lunch was a good idea.

- Agedashi tofu (with ground ginger & daikon in sweet dashi) $9 - the winter warmer and pleaser is very nice here. The tofu has a crisp outside and the dashi is extremely strong;
- Tonkatsu (panko-coated home-made deep fried pork with spiced sauce) $11 - nice and crunchy although a little small for the price;
- Shabu-shabu udon (chicken salad with shabu-shabu style sesame dressing) $15 - I'll admit I thought it would be a hot dish and didn't read the description properly. The chicken was ok, minimally on the dry side and the dressing quite savoury;
- Soupless soba (sesame-fried fried, niku-beef & egg) $15 - I do like cold soba noodles with sesame dressing generally. This had much less sesame flavour but instead the specks of pink ginger really made it delicious. I liked it a lot.

I'll definitely be back for some cheapish Japanese fare. I don't think the sashimi smash will live up to legendary chirashi at Ume Nomiya on Gertrude Street (any hipsters heard of that place?) but I can dream. Additionally kara age, tempura and takoyaki staples will need to also be tested.

I knew that Konjo sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Even the tribal orange coloured sign looked familiar. It wasn't after the meal when the host said there was a branch in Collingwood did it make sense. I'm sure I've been once on Smith Street.

Considering the much more well known Lalibela is next door, it's a curious question why I ended up in Konjo. Two reasons - I needed to use credit card that day (and Lalibela is cash only) and I had read Konjo had a buffet for around $15 per head. In the end Konjo didn't have a buffet. Looking now at the website the buffet is only Friday and Saturday lunches but the a la carte isn't much more expensive anyway.

As three of us were eating, we ordered three dishes which were served together. The injera is dark and so extra sour. It isn't for the faint hearted or those very new to Ethiopian cuisine. Indeed once when I bought a pack of 5 (for $5!!) from Flemington Road I couldn't eat them all due to sour overload (and they don't keep long at home before mould or drying out in the fridge). However for a once off meal, the extra tang really does bind the flavours of the dishes together.

- Beyeinatu (6 vegetable sampler) $14 - a colourful assortment of split peas, lentils and vegetables. None were individually great (often I find one of the vegie dishes supreme) but a good combination for variety;
- Lamb misto $14 - half lamb kai wot (spicy stew in onions, garlic and berbere which I liked more) and half lamb alicha (non-spicy stew with potatoes, carrots cooked in turmeric, onions & garlic);
- Doro Wot (single piece of chicken marinated in lemon, simmered in onion, garlic & spice blend with a hard boiled egg) $16 - they told me this was hot and having made it from scratch before I can attest that it can be fiery. However this version was very mild and sweet which was unexpected. I think I do prefer the hotter more savoury version.

I did like the extra tangy injera and will next time request that at all Ethiopian places. Overall I have liked the stews at Lalibela and The Abyssinian better previously.

Next time I would order the beyeinatu (for vegetables and contrast) and the lamb kai wot or try the half/half (beef tibs and rare kitfo) or the fried lamb derek tibs. It's a communal eating experience so there should be opportunity to order several types. Otherwise there's always the buffet option!

I've found myself a favourite new traditional Korean food place in Melbourne. Honestly I haven't been to that many, but Arisoo has taken over Seoul Soul as my local in Abbotsford and so until I find another I'll be happy here.

I'd walked past a few times and it was good to see some diversity opening in Victoria Street instead of the endless similar Vietnamese cuisines. There's even a Singaporean place near eLounge which I thought the area was missing for a while. One of the things that attracted me to Arisoo in the first place was the offer of fried chicken, which Seoul Soul doesn't have. Chimac has it too but for some reason it seems to be closed quite often when I'm around and the normal Korean dishes appeal more to me than Chimac's fusion Mexican fare.

I've started drinking sikhye (Korean rice punch) at most places which here reminds me of a sweet barley drink. In other places it tasted more cinnamon like horchata. The Korean meal tradition of giving out lots of little accompaniments is preserved here with tangy kimchi, beanshoots and some crunchy vegetables.

- Kimchi Pancakes with onions & soy sauce $10 - nice crisp outsides with chewy middles. These were fine but I don't tend to be much of a pancake person generally;
- Vegetable japchae (stirfried sweet potato starch noodles with mushrooms, chives, carrots & onions) $13 - I really like the distinct chewy gummy texture of sweet potato noodles. No others I've had are like it and I'm a growing fan;
- Spicy soft tofu stew with seafood $15 - delicious piping hot broth to ladle over rice with small bite-sized pieces of seafood;
- Original & soy garlic fried chicken $17 - very good crunchy outsides and lovely thick sauce on the soy & garlic. I preferred the flavoured over original but either is fine. I'd be interested to try the seasoned (spicy) but I do tend to find spicy KFC too hot for me generally.

The food is extremely good. I probably wouldn't get the pancakes again (they usually aren't my preference) but any of the other 3 dishes along with the hot stone bibimbap or tteokbokki rice cakes would be perfect.

I'll be honest and say that going to Urban Pantry in the final weeks wasn't on my agenda. I really wanted to go to X.O to eat their ribs, but unfortunately they were closed for the holiday period and coincidentally the owner Ken was there finalising their Chinese New Year menu.

So the predicament for Wednesday dining came around. It had been a quite exhausting few days and so going to Braddon seemed too much effort. I remember 3 separate occasions of trying to go to Urban Pantry and always realising it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Since then they'd also closed down, renovated and re-opened and friends had been for brunch commenting how nice it was overall. It seemed an easy decision.

Seating was easy even though a reasonably large 21st birthday was happening outside.

- Tasmanian Rock Oysters natural $3.5 each - since I was going to Hobart a few days later this was appropriate. They were small and fine but nowhere near the quality of the ones eaten a few days later;
- Duck Pappardelle (wild mushroom ragout, baked lemon ricotta, pistachio crumble) $32 - quite a subtle sauce with nicely cooked pasta and thick shreds of duck;
- Seafood Lasagna (sand lobster, Crystal Bay prawns, barramundi, crustacea butter, saffron, concasse tomato) $32 - a beautifully presented dish although to be honest I expected something that closer resembled a classic lasagna. The flavours were also much milder than expected with bits of seafood amongst soft (should it be al dente?) pasta;
- Caprese (heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, cucumber ribbons, buffalo mozzarella, EVOO, red wine vinegar) $14 - a simple fresh salad for contrast.

Overall I was a little disappointed. My dining partner on the other hand thought the food was excellent. It could be because I tend to like powerful flavours. The dishes are quite expensive, but with a 2-for-1 main offer from the Entertainment Book, it comes right down. I would go back (with the voucher) but now that I don't live in Canberra anymore, there are places I like more to go preferentially.

I'll have to remind myself to take a photo of the menu for ONA next time, being one of the few places I haven't done this and not having an online menu available.

During the intense few days of packing up and moving, there were several trips to the Salvo's required. Although not the same part of Fyshwick, going to ONA made sense to our drained brains. I distinctly remember the surprisingly outstanding breakfast there on my first visit (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/ona-coffee-house-canberra-03-2014) and a still good but not so memorable visit mid-2015. The last Canberra brunch hurrah would include Local Press and The Cupping Room and so ONA would complete the golden trifecta.

The shakes (and also coffee from what I hear) aren't as good as in their sister The Cupping Room but the shake was adequate this day. A thickish chocolate milk with cream and toasted almonds.

- Smoked cod, kimchi eggs, slaw and flat bread - strong varying flavours served with a thin bread rather than the standard sourdough;
- Pork belly roti, poached eggs, potato salad - beautiful pork with a thin roti (I do like it thicker generally) and eggs that seemed poached then fried (haven't seen that before).

A very good meal overall bringing them back into my Canberra brunch stratosphere. Though I think I overall prefer LP and TCR overall (and they are more convenient locations).

There was a brief period in late 2014 I was partially addicted to the chips from Kingston's Chicken Gourmet, which are served insanely hot, crispy fresh and smothered in fluorescent chicken salt. It seemed to be around the late AFL season and finals period where my standard halftime ritual would be to walk and get some chips to ease the tension.

After reading online about Kingsley's having the best chips in Canberra and an outlet in Woden, I tried several times to find it, eventually realising it must have closed down in the foodcourt and not that I was blind. Eventually my affair with Chicken Gourmet ended after a few substandard burgers (even with the 2-for-1 entertainment book discount).

Many months later I saw the ad for Kingsley's about to (re-)open in Woden. Conveniently this was located in the fresh food market area which I often frequented. One November lunch, I decided to succumb and try. What can I say - the burger chicken was reasonable but the dry white bun and other ingredients remind me why I don't particularly eat KFC burgers or Hungry Jacks anymore (and not for years). My burger and bread standards have changed. The fried chicken was nice and better than Chicken Gourmet's equivalent, but below KFC and my memories of Whitechapel's Royal PFC. The chips are crinkle and well cooked with unnecessary thick gravy. Interestingly they don't have chicken salt available.

I think I'm too old for this type of food anymore. Maybe I'll only just settle for the chips next time.

(The Woden zomato is delisted, so I'll have to settle for this one.)