Max Brenner

QV Centre, Level 2, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar is one of the most well known chocolate and dessert stores in Melbourne. They have 8 locations spread across Melbourne which are very popular with couples and groups that are looking for a hot or sweet treat.

Max Brenner

Christmas decorations up

Dark hot chocolate - American marshmallow $6.30

Milk hot chocolate - Crunchy waffle balls $6.30

The hot chocolates we ordered arrived quite quickly in Max Brenner's signature "hug mugs". The chocolate was not overly sweet and carried the distinct flavours of dark and milk chocolate respectively. The toppings in each of them where quite a disappointment though, as the marshmallows became soggy and started disintegrating and the crunchy waffle balls were akin to soggy cocoa puffs.

Max Brenner is definitely a good place to have a sweet treat while catching up with friends, however I do recommend taking care while ordering, as some of the menu items can be hit and miss.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Fukutontei

276 Russell Street, Melbourne

Fukutontei is a small specialist restaurant sitting on Russell Street in the CBD. The eatery is known for its Japanese style pork dishes and has a huge range of different menu items, including items such as ramen, rice dishes, udon, hot pots and many others. Perfect for the casual lover of pork.

Fukutontei

Umenoyado yuzu-shu

Gyu tataki

The gyu tataki was very tender with a nice and light sear on the outside. The soy dressing was a bit light and lacked the flavour you would find in a good ponzu sauce. The sprouts which were spread on top gave the tataki a bit of a strange texture as they were very stringy. 

Buta kimchi nabe $16.80

Nabe, which is short for nabemono is the Japanese term for the hot pot style dishes which are served widely in Japanese culture. The buta kimchi nabe was a hot pot dish featuring sliced pork belly with various other ingredients, such as tofu, okra, enoki mushrooms, and kimchi. The base of the hot pot was a soup flavoured using kimchi, which left the hot pot with a flavour reminiscent of Korean cuisine. The only negative was that the hot pot was kept hot using a flame which left a burning odor which was very unpleasant. Other than that, the dish was great to enjoy on a cold night!

If you enjoy pork and Japanese food, Fukutontei definitely has you covered. Fast and efficient service, as well as cheap prices and a large range of dishes means you can keep going back and trying a different range of dishes.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Monga Dessert Lounge

1/F, 600 Station Street, Box Hill

Monga Dessert Lounge is very well known as a late night hang out spot in Box Hill. They are open until 3am every day and serve Hong Kong cuisine for every meal of the day, including dessert and supper. They even offer different board games and playing cards on their menu, which has definitely contributed to their popularity as a late night hang out spot. 

Tomato & tom yum seafood noodle soup

The food served at Monga Dessert Lounge can only be described as sub-par. The tomato and tom yum noodle soup was cooked poorly at best. The noodles were mushy and falling apart, while the soup was completely off balance, with far too much tomato and no tom yum flavour.

Swiss chicken wings & egg with homemade soy sauce and rice

Green tea creme brulee with cheesecake

Durian fritters with durian ice-cream

Durian pancake wrap

Durian puff pastry with durian ice-cream

Sago with coconut milk, mango & mango popping boba

All of the desserts we ordered were disappointing in one way or another. The dishes had many bad points to them, including soggy puff pastry, ice-cream which was frozen solid and covered in ice crystals, inexplicable drizzles of strawberry sauce which ruined the dishes, as well as just a general lack of flavour. As bad as I have made things sound, there were a couple of good points to the desserts, such as the fried and crispy durian fritters and the green tea creme brulee, which both had good texture and a more concentrated flavour.

One of the things that I have noticed about the service at Monga, is that when I visit with English speakers, the service is worse than when there are only Cantonese speakers with me. Other than the language barrier, the service is also extraordinarily slow and drink orders are often forgotten or mixed up.

Although Monga Dessert Lounge is a fun place to relax at any time of the day, I cannot recommend visiting just for the food, as there are far better places to visit in Box Hill at any time.

Food Rating 4/10

Overall Rating 4/10

Hoy Pinoy

Location Varies (Night Noodle Markets), Melbourne

If you have been to any of the various market events held in Melbourne around the year, then you have most likely seen or eaten from Hoy Pinoy. Hoy Pinoy brings a small look into Filipino BBQ and street food to Melbourne, and whenever I head to events, such as the Queen Victoria Market's Winter Night Markets or the Night Noodle Markets, I always look for Hoy Pinoy before anything else. 

Hoy Pinoy

Fresh from the charcoal grill

Melbourne Night Noodle Markets

Inihaw na manok - Chicken skewers with traditional soy glaze
Inihaw na baboy - Pork belly skewers with banana ketchup glaze

The pork belly skewers were amazingly tender and juicy. The banana ketchup glaze had a lovely sweetness and the flavour imparted to the meat from the charcoal grill was very nice. The chicken wing skewers were also cooked very well, however I preferred the pork belly skewers instead, as the marinade had a bigger impact.

From the moment you enter the markets, you are instantly drawn in by the aroma from all the stalls. However, if you follow your nose you will definitely find Hoy Pinoy. The wonderful aroma of pork belly and chicken skewers slowly cooking on a charcoal grill sets the stage for the wonderfully food. Although the skewers are quite expensive as is all food served at the Night Noodle Markets, I would definitely recommend giving Hoy Pinoy a try.

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9/10

Italian Chef

427 Chapel Street, South Yarra

Simone Garusi and his wife Roberta first opened Italian Chef in 2014, combining their both their professional experience, as well as an undying passion for all things culinary. Unlike many other Italian restaurants that have been opening recently, Italian Chef brings us more of the traditional and regional side of Italian cooking, which includes many regional dishes that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Melbourne.

Italian Chef

Clean and vibrant decor

Rocket and pear salad with pecorino cheese and honey

Polpette della nonna

Literally translating to grandma's meatballs, the polpette della nonna is something everybody's mother and grandmother would have their own secret family recipe for. The lovely homestyle meatballs were served in a well seasoned napoli sauce with a side of crostini, which was a lovely textural accompaniment. 

Filetto al tartufo

The filetto al tartufo was one of the mains which attracted our attention the most. The dish of wonderfully cooked, tender beef and smooth mashed potato was a textural treat. I absolutely love the use of truffle in dishes, as the robust earthy aroma it provides is amazing. However, the eye fillet is a cut of beef which is slightly less flavourful, so although the aroma of truffle sauce coming out of the kitchen was amazing, the flavour was just the slightest bit overpowering.

Tortelli di zucca

We tried the tortelli di zucca as a recommendation from Simone. Italian Chef serves a variant of tortelli di zucca from Mantova in Italy, which is close to where Simone is from. This variation uses the usual pumpkin filling with a sage butter sauce, but also includes seed of peach and a caramelised fruit mustard from Mantova. A dish unlike any other I have tried before.

Spaghetti alla carbonara

The traditional carbonara is not something you can find at any old Italian restaurant, with many chefs substituting the more expensive ingredients, as well as using heavy cream as a base for the sauce. However, when I find a restaurant that serves the traditional style of carbonara which originates from Rome, I make sure to try it. 

The traditional carbonara uses a base of black pepper and guanciale, which is a cured meat prepared with pork jowl or cheek. This is combined with the pasta, a small amount of pasta water, cheese (usually Parmigiano reggiano) and egg yolks, which are mixed into a sort of emulsion that becomes the wondrous sauce of the Spaghetti alla carbonara. 

Although it did not fault the dish in any way, I did wonder why there was so much cheese strewn across the side of the pasta dishes.

Chocolate mousse, lovely and sweet but not overpowering

Limoncello

As we were finishing the night off, Giuseppe offered us both shots of limoncello. Having never tried limoncello before I wondered what it would taste like. The limoncello is a lot more intense that similar drinks I have tried before, such as the Japanese Umenoyado yuzu-shu you find at Japanese bars. However, the flavour is quite refined and did not carry any immense sour notes, but instead more of the flavour you would find in the rind of the fruit, an overall lovely way to finish off the meal.

From the moment you step into Italian Chef, before even looking at the food or the menu, you can experience the warm Italian hospitality which was very welcoming. I would recommend everybody try Italian Chef at least once, as their innovation through tradition is something I have yet to find anywhere else in Melbourne, and if you have trouble figuring out what you want, the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.

We were invited and dined courtesy of Italian Chef.

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9/10 

Simon's Peking Duck Restaurant

197B Middleborough Road, Box Hill

Simon's Peking Duck is a small, but extremely busy Peking Duck restaurant located in a small strip of shops on Middleborough Road. The restaurant is well known as having some of the best Peking duck in Melbourne, which has left the restaurant extremely busy, which means bookings are essential. Simon's is most well known for its Peking duck sets, in which you purchase a whole duck, which is then portioned out into different dishes including the traditional Peking duck wraps.

Simon's Peking Duck

Pancakes

Spring onion and cucumbers

Peking duck

Duck wrap

The duck was tender and the skin was slightly crispy, which was quite pleasant when eaten with the pancake wrap. The duck at Simon's Peking Duck restaurant is sliced in such a way that it leaves a decent amount of the meat on the skin. This gives the pancake wrap a more substantial bite, but with less texture than the traditional method, which leaves only a tiny bit of meat on the skin so the crispiness of the skin stands out.

Duck meat stir fried noodles

The remaining duck which was unsuitable for use in the pancake wrap was made into duck meat stir fried noodles. The dish itself was quite bland and lacking in seasoning, while the noodles were very mushy.

Duck bone soup

My experience at Simon's Peking Duck restaurant was filled with ups and downs. The noodles were not very pleasant, both in flavour and texture. Although the duck was definitely a highlight of the meal and deserving of the praise it receives as one of Melbourne's best, the only comparison I have is when I visited Quanjude in Beijing, which was on a completely different level.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Pizza Heart

533 Middleborough Road, Box Hill

Pizza Heart is a small pizza shop located in the Kerrimuir locality in Box Hill. Pizza Heart is one of the closest local pizza shops in my area, so I have been visiting them for quite a few years now. I decided visit Pizza Heart for an after dinner snack and even though they were closing, they let us in and prepared a pizza for us.

Pizza Heart

Supreme family pizza $22.50

I usually only order two types of pizza, Margherita when visiting a traditional Italian pizza shop and the supreme pizza from other restaurants. The supreme pizza at Pizza Heart had a good amount of topping and a nice and crispy base, albeit slightly thicker than I would have liked. There was a large amount of olives which I personally enjoyed, however it did leave the pizza a little salty.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10