Gami

Shop 1, 990 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill

Gami is already a well known name among those who frequent Korean fried chicken restaurants in Melbourne, with seven locations in Melbourne as well as one in Perth. When I found out that one of my favourite Korean fried chicken places was opening close to me I had to go try it out.

New shopfront

Bright interior

As the Gami at Box Hill is new, the shopfront and the interior are quite clean and bright, which is a lot different from the Gami restaurants in the city which are darker and a bit dirtier as they have been around for quite some time.

Fried rice cake $5.50

The fried rice cakes were a nice snack to start off the meal, crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside with a sweet sauce.

Gami half chicken $18.00

Gami wings $16.00

They offer many different variations of their fried chicken, we ordered both the half fried chicken with the sweet and spicy sauce and the Gami wings with half original and half soy garlic. Both the wings and the half chicken were cooked very well, they came out very hot and crispy despite being drenched in sauce, however they could have been coated better since some of it was falling off or missing. While the chicken was cooked well, I felt that the sauces were a bit light and lacked a little flavour, that being said the flavour they did have was balanced nicely.

The new Gami at Box Hill is within walking distance of the busy Box Hill Central, with free carpark, lots of public transport and an entire shopping center close by it definitely has an advantage in terms of location. As for the restaurant itself, the staff were very attentive and lovely which made us feel more welcome, as well as serving a great range of Korean comfort food perfect for any meal or takeaway.

Food Rating 7/10
Overall Rating 7.5/10

Bon Chicken & Beer

91 Kingsway, Glen Waverley

Continuing on the journey to fulfill my Korean cravings, I ended coming to Bon Chicken & Beer with a large group of people. A new chicken and beer restaurant to add to the variety in Glen Waverley, Bon Chicken & Beer is situated further down on Kingsway across the road from Century City.

Outdoor Seating

We arrived with a large group which I was worried wouldn't be able to get a seat on the busy weekday night, however the staff were accommodating and quickly put together some of the outdoor tables for us.

Pickled radish and coleslaw sides

Original fried chicken

Sweet chilli fried chicken

Garlic soy fried chicken

It can be hard for restaurants which serve whole fried chicken on their menu, the cooking times of the different sized pieces of chicken can mean some of the chicken comes out well cooked where as some other pieces may be slightly overcooked. While the way some of the chicken was a little overcooked was no different for this restaurant, the crispy outer coating and the paired with the variety of flavours they offer was quite satisfying, if I had to choose a favourite it would definitely be the garlic soy. 

Deep fried chicken gizzard

Definitely one of my favourite dishes when I visit a Korean fried chicken restaurant, the crispy batter and the texture of the gizzard are a great combination.

Seafood pancake

Kimchi pancake

Out of both the pancakes I definitely preferred the kimchi pancake over the seafood pancake. The seafood pancake did not have as much seafood as I would have liked and was a bit bland, however the kimchi pancake was very nice as it had a lot of kimchi but instead of getting soggy as it normally does at other places, it stayed nice and crispy.

Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki is one of the most well known types of Korean street food as well as one of my absolute favourite overall Korean dishes. Made with rice cakes, fish cakes and various types of vegetables cooked in a spicy red pepper sauce, the Tteokbokki boasts a hefty amount of heat with a little sweetness to it. This particular dish is a good example of a basic, but solid Tteokbokki which left me warm on a cold night.

As a new restaurant and a newcomer onto the scene, Bon Chicken & Beer has to compete with not only the diverse restaurant scene of Glen Waverley but also other fried chicken restaurants of which there are no shortage. With good service and a solid amount of dishes on offer Bon Chicken & Beer is a restaurant that I would definitely love to visit again.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

BBQ Code

249 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley

Lately I have been going through a Korean phase, having visited many Korean restaurants in the past week or two. This time I had my sight sets on the Korean BBQ of BBQ code which is a newer restaurant and one of the only Korean BBQ restaurants in Glen Waverley.

 Tucked away in a corner

 Relatively empty weekday night

When we arrived it was already quite late and the restaurant was almost empty which surprised me as it was usually quite busy when I walk past.

 Side dishes

Even more side dishes

I really enjoyed the variety of side dishes they offered, service was also very attentive as the meat on the grill was always attended to and our side dishes were kept topped up as we finished them off.

 Seafood pancake $18.00

Whenever I go to a Korean restaurant I always try to order at least one of my two favourite Korean dishes, the pancake or the tteokbokki. I went for the pancake this time and really enjoyed the crispy texture. The unusual addition of fresh chilli added a nice flavour, especially for a spice lover such as myself. However as it is a seafood pancake, I found it to be a bit lacking in that department as there was not as much seafood as I was hoping there would be.

 Beef set $88.00 

The beef set consisted of ox tongue, a steak and marinated ribs as well as a kimchi soup and japchae. While the meat was pretty standard for Korean BBQ there was quite a lot of it and it was cooked well as the staff were very attentive. The kimchi soup that came with the set had a good amount of spice to it which I enjoyed. The japchae was also cooked nicely and had some good flavours.

 Kimchi soup

 Japchae

Before we dined at BBQ Code I was a bit skeptical since there were mixed reviews for the restaurant, however we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and as well as having good service, it was also quite good value for money, I would definitely like to come here again when I am around Glen Waverley.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Pastuso

19 ACDC Lane, Melbourne

When walking down Flinders Lane, you may have caught a glimpse of a large sign with "Pastuso" on it at the end of a laneway. I have personally noticed the sign many times, however I did not know that it belonged to the sister restaurant of one of my favourite grill restaurants in the city, San Telmo. When I found this out I had to go try it for myself.

With the same owners as the Argentinian San Telmo, Pastuso attempts to take us on a journey to discover the beautiful food and culture of Peru.

Illuminated signage

Busy weekday night

Open kitchen 

Anticuchos $19.00

The Anticuchos were skewers of beef loin and swordfish on a bed of grilled vegetables. The beef loin was tender and flavourful and the swordfish was possibly the best cooked swordfish I have ever had. Most of the swordfish that I have tried has turned out dry or tough, however this was was soft and the flavours were amazing.

Salpicon de vegetables $14.00

Since most of what we ordered was just meat and more meat I thought it would be a good idea to have some vegetables in the meal. The flavour of the vegetables and the goats curd was a good combination, but I wish there was more fennel in the dish since it was the star of the dish.

Bife angosto $50.00

The dry aged striploin at Pastuso was unfortunately not as well cooked as I would have liked. Having ordered the steak medium rare, it was far closer to medium instead. Although it was a slight letdown in terms of the way it was cooked, it was still seasoned quite well and very flavourful.

El pollo $34.00

When the El pollo arrived I actually felt a bit disappointed as the meal had been going quite well. What was put before me was half of a chicken that was very obviously overcooked on one side, and had a burnt skin. Although the parts of the chicken that weren't burnt were actually quite good, it definitely was not worth what we paid for it.

Having been excited to try the Peruvian flavours of Pastuso I was quite impressed by the range and utilisation of different flavours. I would definitely like to come back on a night where they are less busy as I feel like that may have been the reason for the sub par cooking of the food that night. Other than those points though, the staff were lovely and the entree was perfect and both me and my friend agreed that we could have eaten at least 3 more of them.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Paradise Road

171 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley

Choosing to stay closer to the eastern suburbs rather than heading into the city for dinner, we ended up choosing Glen Waverly as our destination. After walking around and checking out a number of restaurants, the strong aroma of Thai cuisine drew us to Paradise Road.

Outdoor seating

Green milk tea

Tasmanian oysters with chilli nahm jim $3.00 ea

Being a sucker for oysters, I had to order at least a couple of them to try out the dressing. The chilli nahm jim wasn't overly hot and had a nice saltiness and tang to it.

Thai fish cakes $9.00

Nam tok "Waterfall" $20.90

The Nam Tok is a marinated and char-grilled porterhouse steak with a Thai style dressing on the side. The meat had a good flavour to it and was very tender, however instead of lending to the char-grill flavour, the grill marks added a heavy bitter taste, almost like the grill wasn't cleaned very well.

Massaman curry $19.80

The Massaman curry is a curry of slow cooked lamb with a strong coconut and pineapple flavour. We ordered the curry with a side of coconut rice, the combination of the slow cooked lamb which basically fell apart in my mouth alongside the fragrant coconut rice and the light spices of the curry were a great combination.

Seafood Pad kra prao $21.90

Although the flavours of the stir fry worked well with the chilli and thai basil, the dish was let down by some of the elements being overcooked.

While Paradise Road is a great option for Thai food in the eastern suburbs, the friendly yet inexperienced staff as well as some inconsistency in the food let it down slightly. Definitely a solid choice, but if able to travel further out, I would definitely head towards the more proven and popular Thai restaurants closer to inner Melbourne.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Journeyman

169 Chapel Street, Windsor

I have heard many great things about Journeyman, however I don't often have time to eat breakfast out, so when I found myself debating suggestions for breakfast with some friends, I took the opportunity to make sure we ended up here.

Busy weekday

Large and stylish space

I was expecting a long wait from what I had heard about the place, but we were swiftly led to a table by a very polite waitress.

Busy kitchen

All day menu

Strong Latte $4.00

Chai Latte $4.50

The Chai latte had a beautiful scent when it arrived and after trying it, the taste expectations matched the one left by the scent.

Toasted Waffles $15.00

The toasted waffles were presented beautifully with fresh fruits, smoked maple syrup and blueberry compote. I love a good waffle and although it tasted amazing, it was really sweet and not as suitable for us since we were having breakfast while tired.

Smashed Avocado $19.00

Journey Eggs Benedict $19.00

The eggs benedict were an amazing combination of the traditional eggs and hollandaise sauce combined with the ever present pork and apple. Originally we each ordered one of these, however after tasting it we immediately ordered another, possibly one of the best breakfast dishes I have tried.

Chilli Scrambled Eggs $18.00

The chilli scrambled eggs were creamy and had a nice chilli kick, which was a good way to wake me up a little. To be honest though, even though the chilli scrambled eggs were amazing, to me the real star of the dish was the mozzarella, basil and baguette. 

Journeyman is a great way to enjoy breakfast for any occasion, whether it be a breakfast by yourself or with friends. The menu has a good variety of different breakfast or brunch dishes and the food that we ordered was lovely. I would highly recommend anybody who is willing to head to Windsor for breakfast to try out Journeyman.

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9.5/10