Auction Rooms, Melbourne 01-2017

In the final week in Melbourne, there was a spate of North Melbourne cafe-eating. Within 7 days, Twenty & Six, Auction Rooms and Fandango were all visited and Auction Rooms easily won the food award in my mind.

The menu is a little different now to the online one from 12/2016 - for example the pressed pork shoulder with morcilla isn't there anymore. But that disappointment faded as it gave me other (vegetarian) options to try.

- Grilled eggplant (with stuffed paratha bread, freekeh + brown rice salad, smoked hummus, preserved lemon, poached egg) $17.5 - a beautiful display of food combining many flavours and textures into an exceptional dish;
- Arepa e’huevo (Colombian corn pancakes, fried egg, poblano peppers, straw mushrooms, baby squash, goat’s curd, piquillo + walnut salsa) $18.5 - the corn pancakes exceeded those set by standard pancakes and had a nice corn/salt flavour to it. The other bits were fillers but the pancakes were the standout.

The servings were very generous and in the end finishing left us very very full. At least it was good and worth it.

Auction Rooms Menu Reviews Photos Location and Info - Zomato

Gaijin, Melbourne 01-2017

Given the expense and general poor quality of seafood in the UK (I accept Europe isn't far away), I snuck in a final Japanese(ish) meal during my final days at work. I remember my one and only experience at Gaijin very favourably when they had an all-you-can-eat rolls deal many years ago.

- Agedashi tofu (deepfried soft tofu in dashi soy sauce with bonito flakes) $10 - the tofu was ok but not crisp enough, however the broth was overpoweringly and undrinkably salty;
- Prawn tempura cha soba (prawn tempura served with green tea cha soba, shredded nori, Gaijin special mayo & mentsuyu dip) $19 - tempura was simple and tasty, the soba was ok but couldn't tell there was green tea in it at all;
- Gaijin platter $36 - decent salmon and kingfish with standard tofu sashimi, a tiny bit of fluorescent green and tangy seaweed and a bit of diced salmon. The chosen half rolls were Spider vs. Dragon (a brilliant flavour and texture combination of soft shell crab, tempura, cream cheese, unagi and teriyaki sauce) and South Yarra (tuna, tempura and shrimp).

$36 is expensive and when you break it down you get two half rolls ($7 each) and a tiny bit of salmon salad (entree $13), seaweed salad (entree $7) and 9 sashimi ($10 for 8 otherwise). If there was full entree size salmon salad and seaweed salad it would be worth it, but it definitely isn't. Forget the platter and go for the dishes on their own.

There was also a 10% public holiday surcharge but they wouldn't accept the Entertainment Card on Australia Day (it isn't one of the exclusion days).

Gaijin Japanese Fusion Menu Reviews Photos Location and Info - Zomato

Hellenic Republic, Melbourne 01-2017

It's been a while since I've visited Hellenic. The first was in Brunswick way back probably around 2010. Since then I've been Kew once and otherwise satisfied myself with a heap of Jimmy Grants experiences.

The leaving Melbourne-meal couldn't have a chosen a better place with iconic Melbourne/Greek food. They don't do this in London. I don't think they even do this in Greece (that I've seen).

- Taromasalata $10 - an eggplant dip with pita;
- Stuffed zucchini flowers, lemon herb ricotta $20 for 4 - decent sized flowers, mild stuffing;
- Grilled octopus, fava, capers $25 - lovely tender and delicious;
- Cypriot grain salad $13 - delicious as always, better than Jimmy Grants because you get the essential pomegranate here;
- Barramundi, charred leek, skordalia $27 - fish cooked nicely with crisp salty skin;
- Pastourma beef shortrib, byzantine dressing $25 - reasonably tender with some chilli and spice in the rub;
- Lamb shoulder, burst cherry tomato $35 - a beautifully tender and luscious joint with a good amount of meat;
- Chips, oregano, garlic oil, feta - saltier and less tangy (no lemon perhaps?) compared to the outstanding Jimmy Grants one;
- Haloumi loukoumades, lemon curd $13 - mild cheese in a bready ball;
- Nick's Galaktoboureko, semolina parfait, walnut filo, fresh mango $18 - not a fan of the wafer but the parfait was refreshing.

An excellent meal as expected. The grain salad, grilled octopus and lamb shoulder would be the highlights for me. Beef rib, chips and loukoumades a close second. All they have to do is make an octopus and beef rib souvlaki, then I can just stay at Jimmy Grants forever.

Hellenic Republic Kew Menu Reviews Photos Location and Info - Zomato

Tip Top, Singapore 01-2017

A 2 hour stopover in T3 Changi Airport left just enough time to get a relaxed paced meal. I'd eaten all of my economy class meal so I wasn't overly hungry. Therefore a SGD4.8 bowl of laksa caught my eye - enough but not too much. I didn't realise they were also well known for curry puffs and ordered two of the three available (curry, beef rendang but not sardine).

The laksa soup was very mild in flavour, too mild for what is supposed to be pungent and spiced. The fish cake within it seemed to have a lot of flavour absorbed into it though. They ran out of egg noodles and the thick rice noodles were ok.

The curry puffs were much better. Although the pastry wasn't overly crisp (they had been pre-fried then left in a warmer), the curry filling with a boiled egg and the other with a nice beef rendang made them some of the nicest I've eaten.