Secret Kitchen

222 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Secret Kitchen is one of many Chinese restaurants around Melbourne which offer daily yum-cha. One of the things that set Secret Kitchen apart from competing Chinese restaurants is their live seafood aquarium, which is known as the biggest in Melbourne.

Secret Kitchen

Jasmine tea

Eggplant with minced chicken and salted fish hot pot $24.80

Special lamb hotpot

Spiced salt and pepper baby beef ribs $36.80

Pan seared prawn with duck yolk $38.80

The prawn dish was the most lackluster of the dishes we were served that night. The prawns themselves were very tough and overcooked, while the duck yolk was dry and very salty, which was not a very good combination. 

Wok tossed pipis with spicy seafood X.O. sauce $28.80

The wok tossed pipis were the first of my two favourite dishes served that night. The pipis were cooked nicely in very flavourful sauce, but the thing that I liked the most about this dish was that the pipis were clean and did not have any grit in them.

BBQ roasted and suckling pig platter $42.80

The BBQ platter was the second of my two favourite dishes of the night. The dish itself was a combination of duck, char siu, BBQ pork and suckling pig, which contained lovely flavour, as well as the pork having amazingly crispy skin.

Stir fried mushrooms in superior soy sauce $28.80

Coconut milk and black glutinous rice cake $8.80

Green tea osmanthus cake $8.80

Banana fritter with ice cream $8.80

Banana and red bean pancake $9.80

As Secret Kitchen is mainly a yum-cha restaurant, the desserts on offer were very similar to those you would find at a yum-cha lunch. My favourites were the green tea osmanthus cake, which had three different layers as well as a very fragrant overall taste and the banana fritter which was fried perfectly with a good amount of ice-cream goodness.

A Chinese feast like this can only really be judged as a whole. Although the meal had its ups and downs, I would say that it was quite pleasant overall. The quality of the food was definitely higher than I would normally find at a large Chinese restaurant, but that is definitely reflected in the pricing of the menu items.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Kitchen Republik

Box Hill Central, 1 Main Street, Box Hill

Kitchen Republic also formerly known as Food Republik, is a large restaurant area which resembles a food court. They have cuisine on offer from different restaurants, such as Old Tong's Beef Noodle, Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao, Taiwan Cafe and Dessert Story, all condensed into a single area.

Taiwanese XL fried chicken rice box $11.50

The Taiwanese fried chicken rice box is one of the most popular items on their menu. The cheap and filling rice box is perfect for a quick lunch, with a crispy coated chicken fillet, a fried egg, vegetables and rice included.

Hsin hsu pork balls noodle soup $10.90

Fried chicken maryland noodle soup $10.90

The food served at Kitchen Republic is very similar to the standard Taiwanese style food you can find in many places around Box Hill. What sets Kitchen Republic apart from the other restaurants would be that they have many different restaurant's menus all condensed into a single restaurant menu, so you can enjoy a wide range of food, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or even just a snack.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Bhoj

New Quay, 4/54 New Quay Promenade, Docklands

Bhoj is a long standing Indian restaurant with many years of history in Melbourne's Indian restaurant scene behind it. Having started out as a restaurant in Templestowe in Melbourne's east, Bhoj soon moved to the current waterfront location in the Docklands and has been there for 13 years now. While the first thing that people think of when it comes to Indian cuisine is curry, chef and owner Rajesh Mehta has brought out more than that in Bhoj, with Indian street food favourites and other regional dishes. 

Bhoj

Papadums

Red chilli, coriander & mint and sweet tamarind chutney

The chutney served with the papadums showcased a variety of different flavours found in Indian cuisine. The contrasting flavours of the spicy red chilli, refreshing coriander and sweet tamarind chutneys were an excellent beginning the to meal, as it worked wonders on our appetite.

Pani puri

Pani puri is an Indian street-side favourite. The rice crisps, also known as puri are served with the pani, which is a hot and tangy coriander infused water. We were informed that as it was our first time trying the pani puri, it might be slightly strange, so we were served it with some sweet tamarind chutney. The dish itself was a fun mixture of flavours and textures, which when combined with the refreshing hit of the pani, was quite enjoyable.

Hoshiapuri champaan 

The hoshiapuri champaan were hot lamb cutlets marinated in malt vinegar, cumin powder and medium spices, barbequed and finished with a tangy sauce. One of my favourite dishes of the night, the spiced lamb cutlets were cooked very nicely, albeit slightly dry and were absolutely bursting with flavour.

Sounth palak papdi

Gunpowder chicken

The gunpowder chicken was coated in a South Indian five spice gunpowder batter, then deep fried. The chicken itself was quite tender and the spice left the chicken with a good amount of seasoning and flavour. The problem with the dish was that the batter was very thick and absorbed some of the oil, which caused the coating to be dense and unpleasant.

Selection of curries

After we finished our entrees we were already quite satisfied and full. However, as we were just starting to relax, our mains arrived. Although all of the curries that we were served each had a unique set of flavours from the spices and aromatics, our favourite would have to be creamy butter chicken. The dish was smooth yet mild which meant you could taste the flavours without it being overpowering.

Raita

The food at Bhoj was a vibrant display of much of what Indian cuisine has to offer. The meal we were offered had both large bold and large flavours as well as portions, as we could barely finish it. There are many different dishes to try at Bhoj and the relaxed atmosphere as well as the waterfront location make it a must try if you love Indian cuisine!

We were invited and dined courtesy of Bhoj.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Melba

1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank

Melba has long been known to Melbournians as one of the best, as well as one of the most expensive buffets in Melbourne. Housed in the luxurious Langham Hotel, Melba Restaurant fits right in with the opulent beauty of the surrounding area, as it brings its quality food and service to Southbank, which is an area known for its many fine restaurants.

The buffet

Fresh seafood 

The seafood on the seafood display looked beautifully fresh and was one of the first displays I decided to visit. The mussels and prawns were both lovely and I consumed more than my fair share of them, however while some of the oysters were quite fresh, a couple of the oysters I picked out had an odd taste to them which was a bit nasty.

Sashimi cabinet

The sashimi cabinet was always attended to by a chef which sliced the fish to order. I tried a little bit of all the fish that was available, which had a fresh flavour and firm texture.

Antipasto and cheese

Five spice pork belly

Roast duck

The hot food on offer at Melba was best described as mediocre. While some of the items were excellent and flavourful, a lot of the items had become dry due to the heat lamps they use. While it was not bad, I would definitely expect a restaurant of Melba's caliber to be better, as it is definitely one of the most expensive buffets in Melbourne.

Dessert cabinet

As I was getting full on the hot food at Melba, I started eyeing the dessert cabinet. There were a range of colourful desserts on offer, my favourite of which were the chocolate mousse, bread and butter pudding and the different slices available. The desserts were not too sweet and the textures of the smooth chocolate mousse and soft bread and butter pudding made the desserts a lovely conclusion to the buffet.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 8/10

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