Hunky Dory

171-175 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood

When you think of fish and chips in Australia, most people might think of the dingy old corner shop selling oil soaked fish and frozen chips. Hunky Dory has been changing that view since they first opened in 2004 by offering an expansive menu with a range of different seafood and flavours, while still offering the classic fish and chip favourites.

Hunky Dory

Spotless kitchen

Salt and pepper calamari

I ordered the salt and pepper calamari after finishing my main grilled fish dish, as my friends guaranteed me that it would be amazing. Although the dish was quite basic, the calamari was perfectly cooked and possibly some of the most tender calamari I have ever tried.

Grilled flavours from around the world - The Latino

For my main dish, I chose to try their grilled fish with Greek salad instead of the usual fried fish and chips. My expectations for the dish were set incredibly high, as my friends had told me the first time they tried this dish was a life changing experience. While the fish was cooked well and the mix of Mediterranean and Latino flavours were quite enjoyable, I would have to say that it definitely was not a life changing dish.

Hunky Dory is a great place to visit for your seafood fix and with 8 stores around Melbourne you won't need to travel too far to find one. Although they aren't the life changing experience that was described to me by my friends, I would still definitely recommend giving Hunky Dory a visit, as they are far above most other local fish and chip shops.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Don't Tell Mama Shh

751-753 Doncaster Road, Doncaster

Don't Tell Mama Shh is a Korean restaurant just a few minutes walk away from Westfield Doncaster. They serve many different types of Korean specialties, from bibimbap, to fried chicken and even Korean army stew, all of this in their restaurant with walls that are adorned with quirky little phrases such as Don't tell mama our cooking is better than hers (which we would never dare to do).

Fried rice cake $5

The fried rice cakes were the first thing we ordered. They were covered in a sweet chilli sauce which was a lot more sweet than spicy, but not to the point where it would be unpleasant.

Japchae $17

Mama's fried chicken two flavours $34

Korean fried chicken is a staple dish of many of Melbourne's Korean restaurants, with many specialist restaurants creating a menu based solely on the dish. Despite having these specialist Korean fried chicken restaurants to compete with all over Melbourne, Don't Tell Mama Shh's fried chicken is definitely a contender. Unlike many other places, the sauce coatings aren't overpowering in terms of flavour and sweetness, and form a nice consistency, which creates an even coating for the chicken. All of this is accentuated by how the chicken is cooked, leaving it nice and tender with a good amount of juiciness. 

Don't Tell Mama Shh has become one of the go to Korean restaurants in the eastern suburbs. Although there aren't actually that many competitors in the surrounding area, they are definitely up there in terms of what Melbourne has to offer. 

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Okami Japanese

188 Moreland Road, Brunswick

Okami Japanese is one of the many Japanese buffets in Melbourne offering an all you can eat style dining experience. Although there are many other all you can eat style Japanese buffets, Okami is by far the largest of them, with 8 restaurants currently open around Melbourne.

Teriyaki beef

Sushi and sashimi platter

Chicken skewers

Beef carpaccio

The quality of the food at Okami Japanese is a lot higher than that of other Japanese buffets I have visited. I especially enjoyed the teriyaki beef which was tender and flavourful, as well as the beef carpaccio, which is a dish I order at almost every Japanese restaurant I visit. 

The one downside to Okami I found was that because their restaurant was so popular, the staff struggled to keep up with the orders of multiple tables. This made is so that the pace of the food coming out was incredibly inconsistent, as well as having orders getting forgotten or mixed up.

Even with the inconsistent service, I would still recommend giving Okami a try. Their quality of food, especially for an all you can eat buffet is quite high and for the price of $29.80, the meal is definitely a bargain. 

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Tai Pan

237-239 Blackburn Road, Doncaster East

Growing up in an Asian family, Yum Cha was a weekly ritual for us. Having tried many of Melbourne's Yum Cha offerings, we have settled for a few favourites of ours, including Shark Fin, Gold Leaf and of course, Tai Pan. 

Having existed as a standalone restaurant for many years, Tai Pan is now under the Secret Kitchen name, which also included a revamp of their menu to include some of Secret Kitchen's dishes.

Going to Yum Cha is more of a complete experience rather than a sampling of individual dishes, as such it is quite difficult to judge each of the separate dishes we tried. Although the Yum Cha at Tai Pan is slightly more expensive than the other places that I usually visit, it is definitely something I do not mind, as the overall experience is generally better. 

Other than the quality of the food, which is of a consistently high standard, the staff also make the rounds and take orders quickly and efficiently, which allows the customers to enjoy the Yum Cha without worrying about flagging staff down constantly or waiting for food. I would definitely recommend giving them a visit for Yum Cha if you are in the area!

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Little Woodpecker

55 Katrina Street, Blackburn

Little Woodpecker is a small local cafe located in Blackburn North that specializes in fresh seasonal brunch items with a little bit of a Middle-Eastern twist, as well as custom roast coffee. As Little Woodpecker is the closest local cafe to me, I often find myself visiting them for a coffee and quick lunch.

Little Woodpecker

 Chai Latte

Grilled chicken burger with extra free range bacon

As a complete dish the burger was very enjoyable, but there were definitely some ups and downs with each element of the dish. Some of the negative points of the burger I noticed were that the chicken breast was slightly dry, which was not a huge problem as well as the fact that the burger was stacked really high, which made it quite difficult to eat without dismantling.

Although there were a couple of small negatives about the meal, I was definitely still satisfied and would visit them again. The location of the cafe is also a godsend for me, as there is a distinct lack of cafes around my area.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Fonda

651 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn

Fonda is a Mexican restaurant with many branches all over Melbourne. It was started in 2011 by two friends, Tim McDonald and Dave Youl, with a vision to develop Mexican street food dishes designed to share using Australian produce, Fonda has grown into one of the biggest names of Mexican food in Melbourne, with 7 restaurants currently open.

Fonda

D.I.Y Tostada board

Charred corn

Various tacos

Since we had already eaten a small dinner before we visited Fonda we decided to share some of their smaller, but more well known dishes. 

The charred corn, which is a signature of Mexican street food was not everything that I had hoped it would be. Although the dish itself was not terrible, there was nothing special that made it stand out from the other Mexican restaurants that I have visited. 

Another slight disappointment was the tacos that we had ordered. While the filling in the tacos were flavourful and balanced, trying to eat them ended up being incredibly messy, as the tortillas were soggy and fell apart in our hands. 

Although the dishes each had some issues with their execution, the exciting flavours of  Mexican cuisine were all there. We enjoyed the mix and match sharing style of the food shown especially in the D.I.Y tostada board, which was a highlight of the meal. Overall I would say that although we were slightly disappointed by Fonda this time around, I would definitely consider visiting them again.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10