Norfolk Hotel, Redfern

Smashing out $3 Tacos in the company of young hipsters.

That's Tuesday night at the Norfolk.

Beef brisket and pulled pork flavours let down by excessive cooking time reducing the meat to string, the fish & anchiote paste and chargrilled chicken, guac and chipotle make me much happier.

Restoran Ahwa, Kuala Lumpur

 

Now if you get taken to a coffee shop in KL, you might be in for a surprise.

And when you get there, your thoughts might drift to asking why has the caffeine and the dude or dudette with the intricate tattoo sleeve, nerdcore thick rimmed glasses, nose ring at the shiny La Marzocco been replaced with a setting of plastic outdoor chairs and chefs at the woks in tiny portable carts? 

So there ain’t too much coffee going around, but if you’re a fatty like me, what they serve up more than compensates.

Hokkien Mee – deliciously rich and sticky with a sweetness and charred savoury from the oyster sauce

Kuay Teow – complete with crunch pork lard

Satay

Chicken Wings

Don’t expect to lose weight passing through the long blacks here.  This is KL’s “coffee shop”.

3.5 / 5 yums!

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Where? 66 Jln 14/48 46100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

What? Under AUD $10

David’s, Prahran

Recently, we were invited to attend the relaunch of David’s in Prahran.

Can’t say that I’ve been to the previous David’s, but I’m liking the new fit out that’s warehouse cool washed in laboratory white, with a nod to the mainland through the industrial lanterns.  Feels rather homely.

No decisions required, a series of dishes selected by the man himself to showcase the new sharing menu designed to share.

The entrée section shined, balanced by salty, sweet, pickled and spice.

Drunk chick: white cut chicken marinated in Chinese wine that won’t get you smashed.

Green ‘n red: el dente green soy beans, bok choy and chilli was refreshing and my favourite dish of the night.

Shredded Duck and Veggie Wrap – Peking duck it ain’t.  A nice stir fried filling but probably better with rice.

Spicy beef with white radish & cucumber – pickled with a bit of heat.

Mains I’d order individually, but not all at once as that familiar savoury flavour of oyster sauce can be too much.

‘One bite’ soft shell river prawns: consuming these crunchy suckers head to tail is so hot right now.

Grandma’s 8’s: origins from the olden days, we’ve been told that each family has their own version of this, and its basically leftovers combined into a tasty dish the day after.  Bought forward to the modern era with fresh ingredients and presto, David's suped up version!  If this Shanghai medley of scallop, shrimp, pork, chicken, chestnut, cashew, bamboo & shitake is this good, it’s a symphony better than Bach or Lady Gaga.

Sticky pork belly & chat potatoes: country comfort it definitely is a BAU home dish.

Tofu & field mushrooms: silky.

Man these country folk must eat so well: Peasant’s crab of diced scallops, fish & egg white tossed in the wok.

Golden eye fillet with sweet potato, ginger & soy: you will need rice.

Now Asian desserts… need I say more?

Osmanthus & Red Bean Black Sticky Rice Pudding: it’s hard to make this look any better.  I like red bean, and black stick rice, but this is challenging.

Much better was the traditional almond pudding sprinkled with black sesame.

A new beginning and a new chapter, we’ll be back for more of David’s Country Shanghai.

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Where? 4 Cecil Place, Prahran, VIC

N’Shry, Albert Park

There aren’t going to be many better spots to come running up the sand in those teeny-tiny budgie smugglers and sprawl in that chair, sipping on a freshly squeezed juice and looking out into the waters dreaming of a better life.

No let downs on the menu, as N’Shry serves up some pretty gourmet stuff that does justice to the setting and suburb that surely targets the young professional and hipster demographic of the Albert Park/Port Melbourne area.



Croque Madame – Pain de Mie with gruyere cheese, Grandmother Ham, béchamel sauce, Dijon mustard, topped with an egg with capsicum and eggplant relish and a side of tomato. Ham and cheese toasties this ain’t.



Panko crumbed corn and zucchini fritters topped with smoked salmon, avocado, a poached egg and wasabi kewpie.



Umami Burger – 200g Wagyu and Angus beef cooked to medium rare, Umami rub, brown mushroom sauce, gruyere, caramelised onions, oven roasted tomato and a parmesan crisp between a sweet brioche bun with a side of onion rings, slaw, cornichons, spicy chip dip and wasabi kewpie. There is a lot going but a lot going for it. A luxurious main that makes the mind say “oh no you shouldn’t” but the stomach “oh yes I just did”.



Make hay at “Noshery” while the Melbourne sun shines.

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Where? 129a Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park, VIC
What? Breakfast $12-22, Lunch $18-27

Kokoro Ramen, Melbourne

An Australian summer is a strange time of year to be opening a hot soup noodle joint. But that only serves as an early preview to what we could be getting stuck into come winter.



Gyoza



Tonkotsu Shio with char siu.



Tonkotsu Miso with spicy mince pork.



Tonkotsu Shoyu comes with a generous slab of pork belly, char siu and that creamy yolk half egg . A broth that is clean, natural yet deliciously fatty.



Tonkotsu Miso with soft shell crab – a richer, spicier flavour, the soup silky with fattiness. Gonna go straight to my hips.

The Japanese noodle dish is king as rice is sent to the back page of the menu. Keep it there. The ramen Melbourne had to have.

3.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 157 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC
What? Ramen $13+

Summer Drinking

Summer is on us in Melbourne and on a hot sunny day a nice cold beer goes down a treat. But unfortunately those nasty carbs and sugars in a beer aren't helping with maintaining a body fit for summer - so what are the alternatives? If you're short on time a Riesling can be a great change, Tim Adams and Pikes are good value quaffs.

But what i've been getting into lately is the cleaner, fresher and more simpler taste of an old classic mixed drink of - Vodka Soda & Lime (on a whole lot of ice). The cals are much lower than the old coldie, and it's just as enjoyable smashing these down sitting around with mates - and lets face it, much more hipster and cool.

How I like to drink these are to get a short glass, flil it to the brim with ice, throw in 1.5 shots of grey goose vodka, the juice & rind of of 1/8th Lime and top the rest up with some Schweppes soda.

Try it out as an alternative if you're worried about your summer waistline expanding!

Y

McDonalds, Hong Kong

Maccas has been pushin the poultry in Oz for a little while. So why haven’t they brought the McSpicy Chicken to Oz? Their answer to the Zinger.



Ebi (prawn) burger is an step up from the old fill-lay-o-fish



Sweet taro pie. Probably a bit too out there for down under.

3.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? McDonalds, Hong Kong