David and Camy Dumpling Restaurant

605 Station Street, Box Hill

David and Camy is one of many Asian restaurants that have called Box Hill home for many years. They were once one of a few restaurants that I would visit frequently, as I enjoyed their cheap and straightforward Chinese style food. I don't know whether it was because they were very busy, or if the quality of the food has simply dropped, but during my most recent visit to them though, I was quite disappointed by the food that I was served.

 Egg custard buns

Fried dumplings

Crispy noodles with seafood

Unfortunately on this visit to David and Camy, I was incredibly disappointed by both the food and service. Everything we ordered other than the egg custard buns was almost inedible and even though I was very hungry, I could not finish eating it. The fried dumplings had skin that was both thick and hard, which made them very difficult to eat and the crispy noodles with seafood was very bland and had no texture it. 

Usually with restaurants, I give them the benefit of the doubt and visit them again before completely writing them off and not visiting them again. However with the plethora of high quality Chinese restaurants in the Box Hill area, I do not see any reason to take the risk of having another bad meal.

Food Rating 3.5/10

Overall Rating 3.5/10

Kimchi Hut

185 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley

As a lover of Korean cuisine, I have visited many different Korean restaurants all over Melbourne, however I always end up at Kimchi Hut when I am in the Glen Waverley area. Their combination of solid Korean style comfort food, cosy environment and friendly staff always keeps me coming back for more!

Kimchi tofu stew 

Seafood japchae

The stews at Kimchi Hut are one of the reasons that I enjoy visiting them so much, as there are few things better than a warm, spicy stew on a cold winter night. Although I wouldn't say that they were the most amazing Korean stews that I have ever tried, I always enjoy them when I visit. If I had to criticize them though, I would say that I would have liked the flavour of the soup to be more intense.

If you are a lover of Korean cuisine, I would definitely recommend giving them a go. While you might find better Korean restaurants here and there in terms of the food served, the overall package that Kimchi Hut presents always has me returning for more.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Nishikian

425 Springvale Road, Forest Hill

Nishikian is a Japanese restaurant that I have seen hundreds of times but never had the chance to visit. They are located on Springvale Road in Forest Hill, directly on the way to Glen Waverley, which is one of the reasons I haven't had the chance to visit them, as Glen Waverley is one of the biggest restaurant destinations in the east.

Kaisen don

Pork belly skewer

Beef tataki

The food at Nishikian is a mixture of traditional Japanese flavours and some odd new dishes with different techniques. While some of the food we found on their menu was closer to traditional Japanese dishes, you would be hard pressed to find some of the others in any other Japanese restaurant. While I do appreciate creativity in restaurants, sometimes it doesn't work out quite as planned. I personally did quite enjoy some of the dishes, such as the beef tataki and the skewers, however, some others were less impressive, such as the tuna roll and the hot pot.


Although Nishikian is located quite a distance from many other Japanese restaurants, with the closest being in Glen Waverley, I don't think I will end up visiting them again. While our meal at Nishikian was definitely not bad, the quality and number of other amazing Japanese restaurants in Melbourne means that there really isn't a reason for me to visit them.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Rock Sugar

477 Malvern Road, South Yarra

Usually when I am planning on visiting a restaurant I like to do a little research before hand to see if anything special catches my eye. In Rock Sugar's case, although the menu looked amazing at first and I was incredibly excited to try one of their special cocktails, what really caught my attention was their website, which displayed a gif of one of the best movie scenes ever, Jean-Claude Van Damme dancing in Kickboxer. After seeing this, I knew that I was in good hands, as the people at Rock Sugar clearly have impeccable taste.

Rock Sugar

Sriracha butter corn on the cob

Beef short rib

The most memorable dish of the meal was definitely the beef short rib. The tangy dressing and the hint of spice was balanced perfectly, and the meat quite literally fell right off the bone as we picked it up, and melted in our mouths.

Fried chicken ribs

Red curry - Duck leg, pineapple, young bamboo, snake bean, thai basil

When I ordered the red curry, I was expecting something a little more intense, but instead the curry was actually very light. Although I usually do prefer stronger flavours in curries, the lightness of the red duck curry was actually a pleasant change, as many of the starters we ordered had quite intense aromas and flavours. 

Spicy papaya salad

The spicy papaya salad was a great side dish to order with the curry and other dishes. Usually I'm not a big fan of ordering too many salads and sides, as you can often lose track of how much you have ordered. However, the change in texture from the shredded papaya and the tartness of the salad provided a contrast to the heavier dishes, which was very pleasant and appetizing.

Coconut ice-cream

Mango tango

It is no secret that coconut is one of my favourite things in the world, which is why I was so excited to see two different desserts featuring coconut on the menu. While the coconut ice-cream was quite light on the coconut flavour, the coconut panna cotta in the mango tango was barely distinguishable. This definitely comes down to an issue of personal taste, as I would have preferred it if the coconut came through more, but the way it was presented at Rock Sugar allowed the mango to shine.

I was very happy with the meal overall, and although I did feel like there were a few things I would definitely have changed, those were things that came down to personal preference over anything else. Even though there are an amazing range of restaurants to choose from in the area, I would definitely say to give Rock Sugar a go, their easy to share menu and range of amazing cocktails are sure to satisfy!

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Rock Sugar.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Shophouse Kitchen

Shop 29-31, QV Square, Corner Swanston and Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Hong Kong style cuisine is a style of food that is under-represented, specifically in the Melbourne CBD. Apart from a few specific restaurants, such as D-House Cafe and the hidden Hayday Hong Kong Cafe, it can be quite hard to find these styles of restaurants outside of the suburbs. Shophouse Kitchen is one of these restaurants that serve the Hong Kong style cuisine, as well as offering many other Asian dishes in their expansive menu.

 Shophouse Kitchen

Coconut Juice

Baked seafood with fried rice $13.90

One of the dishes that I like the order the most at Hong Kong style cafes and restaurants is the baked rice. Usually I like to make a combination of the cream and tomato sauce for the baked rice, but there wasn't an option to choose more than one of these during my visit. I do however like to try things differently so I was not really fussed by this. Unfortunately, I did find that with just the cream sauce and the melted mozarella on top, that the dish was too rich for my taste. I believe that if half of the cream sauce had been the tomato based sauce, the dish would have been much better, as the tart flavour of the tomato would have cut through the rich cream and cheese to allow the seafood to shine through.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Daniel's Donuts

819 Princes Highway, Springvale

Daniel's Donuts is a bakery specialising in donuts that is beloved by many. Due to their 24/7 opening hours, many people including myself, often find themselves visiting Daniel's Donuts for their donut fix at the strangest of hours, and as such, they have built up a loyal following, as well as a reputation for having some of the best donuts in Melbourne.

 Daniel's Donuts

Assorted Donuts

Although I love sweet treats, I can never stomach anything that is too sweet, which is the reason I dislike many mass produced donuts. I tried an assortment of donuts at Daniel's Donuts which included glazed, nutella and custard donuts, so that I could get a good comparison, and they did not disappoint. Each of the donuts were made perfectly with a soft donut and good filling to donut ratio, and most importantly, none of them were overpoweringly sweet, which was a surprise as one of the donuts was literally filled with Nutella.

I regularly visit Daniel's Donuts even though it is out of the way for me. With great donuts, 24/7 hot drinks and milkshakes and the release of the new durian donut, you should definitely give them a visit as well!

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Bottega

74 Bourke Street, Melbourne

Located on the Bourke Hill precinct of Melbourne's Bourke Street, Bottega is a small restaurant with a fine dining interior that serves an interpretation on modern Italian cuisine as well as a range of local and imported wines.

 Taleggio & leek croquettes

 Caciocavallo all'argentiere - Sicilian pan-fried cheese, roast chestnuts, beer jelly

Whenever I spot a new and exciting dish on a menu, I can't stop myself from ordering it and trying it out. When I read that there was a pan-fried cheese with beer jelly on the menu, I could not even begin to imagine how the dish would look or taste. Fortunately it was quite enjoyable, although I'm not sure if I would order it again myself.

 Saffron risotto, scallop carpaccio, fennel pollen

The saffron risotto was tinted a lovely and deep yellow from the saffron which was visually appealing, although it was very hard to pin down any of the subtle flavour that saffron can impart to a dish. This is not to say that the saffron risotto was not a good dish though, as the texture of the risotto was very pleasant and the flavour the scallop carpaccio added to the dish was beautiful and mellow. 

Bottega is definitely a great place to visit for a special occasion, with friendly staff and a great range of Italian dishes and wine. Theater-goers will also be happy to know that they also offer a pre-theater menu as well as private dining options.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10