When I saw that San Telmo, a very well renowned South American cuisine restaurant was participating in the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival “Winter Roasts” event and that they were serving Alpaca for a few limited Fridays my curiosity was piqued.
Singapore – Image taken from Minmax travel
I’m packing my bags and heading to Asia!
Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and maybe even a cheeky trip to Bangkok are all on the cards so I would love your help to create a list of things to try whilst I am over there!
When I went to Vietnam I created “The Hungry List” with a number of things to look out for on my travels, so let’s add to this?
So far I’ve been requested to try:
So keep em coming and I’ll update the list as we go!
By the way… I don’t just eat strange foods (well strange to us in Australia!) I actually would love to know what foods I simply must try that are really delicious!
I am already drooling over Kaya Toast for breakfast mmm.
Stay tuned this Friday 28th June I try out Alpaca as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine festival roast collection! I think it will taste like sheep or goat?
Mmm Alpaca
Sounds appealing right?
Only 2 and a half mins to go!
Let me take you back to Saturday, where I challenged the epic pork mountain and went well past base camp…
This is absolutely utterly ridiculous… On Saturday 1st June I will take on the Hofbrauhaus Schnitzel challenge which consists of:
In 45 minutes
Blood Jelly was one of the original delicacies I had investigated for my Vietnam List, but had somehow lucked (or chickened) out of trying.
So, when I ordered the Spicy Pork Noodle Soup from one of my favourite Vietnamese haunts, Dong Ba on Hopkins st Footscray, I thought nothing of it.
It’s funny how much the weather in Melbourne phenomenally dictates how we spend our lunch-break.
If it’s blowing a gale, has blizzard like arctic winds or is raining cats and dogs I’ll eat at my desk. If I’ve brought my own lunch… I’ll eat at my desk…
I don’t think that I am the only winter desk hermit in Melbourne…
However…
As soon as it’s warm or sunny (which means anything over 18 degrees in Melbourne), city workers throw caution to the wind, throw off their wooly coats, fling on some thongs, sunnies and maybe even a hat and venture outside to welcome the change in climate.
So where do you go for lunch in Melbourne when it’s sunny outside?
I’ve managed to find some top spots to have an alfresco bite or beverage. I don’t mean finding a table if you’re lucky, these places often have room to indulge in some vitamin D replenishment and serve some tasty grub too… with enough room for friends
Trunk – 275 Exhibition Street – This one is great, if you sit in the garden you can choose either the fancy schmancy restaurant menu or the diner menu so it has a price range to suit everyone. Best to get there at around 12PM on a lovely day to get a seat.
Campari House Rooftop – 23-25 Hardware Lane – Has a rooftop pizza menu from 12pm which is great for sharing a couple of pizzas and drinks, also a good after work meeting place!
The Carlton – Balcony or rooftop (Palmz) – Lunch Thurs-Sat only – Pub grub, Thursday has a $15 Parma and pot, otherwise there are nibbles and other (albeit spruced up) pub fare
Section 8 – 27-29 Tattersalls lane – I LOVE this place and now they do lunch, and its so cheap! Funky as hell and great on a hot day… if you go after work, go early
Riverland Bar – Federation wharf (under Princess bridge) – Has a really big lunch menu that will suit all budgets and a great view of the Yarra, really close to Fed Square
Ponyfish Island – Under the bridge that joins over the Yarra… I haven’t been to this one, but it looks like fun and is certainly a very different location so it had to rate a mention!
Madame Brussels – 59-63 Bourke Street – Not a typical lunch menu, which means a spot in the sun is pretty easy to get at lunchtime. They have some lovely chicken sandwiches you should try
There is nothing better on a gorgeous sunny day in Melbourne than grabbing some sushi (always my fav cheap lunch) and finding a patch of grass in one of Melbourne’s many gorgeous parks…
Treasury Gardens
Try the Treasury Gardens, they are my favourite! If you can stand the sheer amount of fitness junkies jogging and puffing their way through the surrounds.
Of course there are a plethora of places in Melbourne with outdoor dining options (I’ve left off Southgate, Federation Sq and countless amazing alleys I know!)
Let me know your favourites and I’ll have to go and try them next time the Melbourne weather decides to play nice!
That’s about the extent of my ability to speak “Mexican” unless you throw in the word nacho, taco and tequila…
and yes… I’m aware the language is Spanish, and that’s casually racist. Mmm Churros *drool*
Alas I’m getting side tracked…
I have been referred to as a Mexican by my New South Wales and Queensland friends for many years (in Melbourne we are south of the border) 😐
As far as I can remember dishes like Tacos, Nachos and Burritos were always on the menu as a quick throw together meal, and el cheapo trips to Taco Bill in my Uni days I can look back on fondly… Pancho Villa and a free sombrero anyone?
Recently I was planning my birthday dinner and was on the hunt for a good value for money cuisine option that would suit a multitude of tastes. With this in mind I stumbled across a plethora of Mexican restaurants…
I’m not talking about chain style restaurants like Taco Bill or Montezuma but, funky, hip and dare I say trendy places that all spouted the line of real Mexican!
When I asked some advice about where to go, it seemed that everyone had an opinion on the best mexican in Melbourne, and all had a restaurant that they either frequented regularly or were dying to visit.
So I’m posing some questions… Is Mexican the new cool kid in the food playground? Or are people’s restricted budgets driving them to seek cheaper yet still fresh alternatives?
Gone are the days when Mexican (thanks to Old El Paso $5 kits) is a quick at home fix, or a cheesy greasy fast food style restaurant option…
In the end I ended up going to a pub for my birthday dinner…
Why? Finding a mexican restaurant that would take 20 people; without having to go with a set menu was a task (and story) better suited to another blog!
Mugarita?
I did get to a funky place called Touche Hombre for lunch, which I have to admit was fantastic!
I will definitely be returning… mmm Margarita in a mug! Mugarita?
Perhaps it can be my “best Mexican in Melbourne” restaurant, but I’d better try the others first!These are some that were suggested to me as alternatives:
I’m sure that there are plenty more… let me know so I can try them out!
Hot Vit Lon…
Or foetal”unborn” duck eggs are rather popular in Vietnam.
An excellent recommendation from our guide in Dalat was to try “Nem Nuong”…
A do it yourself type arrangement, Nem Nuong is served as BBQ pork strips with crispy pork skin, pickled salad veggies, Vietnamese herbs (mint, coriander etc), garlic and red onions and rice paper.
You basically throw all the ingredients into the rice paper, constructing them into hand rolls yourself, then dip them into a satay style sauce.
A great blend of tastes, and judging how busy the restaurant was at 4pm in low season it’s quite a popular dish!
Next challenge is to find some in Melbourne or move to Dalat
The Hungry Ginger 