Steakhouse 66

66 New Quay Promenade, Docklands

As a steakhouse located in the heart of Melbourne's Docklands, Steakhouse 66 has a great view of the waterfront. The restaurant itself was relatively large, with features such as an open grill where you can see the food being prepared as well as a large bar area.

Grill area

Cajun chicken ribs $8.50

We ordered the cajun chicken ribs to start while we were waiting for the mains. The chicken ribs were cooked well so they weren't dry and had a spice packed coating. Great finger food which I would definitely order again.

Lamb pot pie $30.00

My friend ordered the lamb pot pie for their main. The pot pie had a beautifully browned crust which made it appear very appetising. The mash on the side was quite smooth and was buttery, which I like in a mash. The filling however, was a watery lamb stew which, according to my friend that ordered it, was "like the stew my dad made" which is not a particularly good thing.

Pork spare rib $36.00

I ordered the pork spare ribs, as I have always enjoyed ribs and have not had a good rib dish in a while. The dish was presented nicely which filled me with anticipation, but when I started eating it, the flavours did not have the same impact. The ribs were tender and easy to eat, but the glaze was a bit sweet and did not have any real depth to the flavour. As for the rest of the dish, the chips were slightly undercooked and the pickles were shredded too thinly so there was not really any texture to them.

The service was attentive and there was a lot of variety on the menu, as well as a section which offered half price discounts for a main and dessert combo on Tuesdays. The restaurant has a lot of potential but had just a few issues with their food.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Hot Star Large Fried chicken

233 Swanston Street, Melbourne

There are a few Hot Star Large Fried Chicken stores in the city, which are mainly concentrated around Melbourne Central. As they are always accompanied by a Gong Cha store and open until late, Hot Star is a popular destination for those who are finishing off a night out and need a quick bite to eat.

 Hot Star and Gong Cha

 The preparation

Large fried chicken $8.50

The chicken is fried to order so it comes out piping hot and juicy. They also give you the choice of having spice added to the chicken after frying which adds a nice flavour touch. I personally have always added spice to it as I feel like the batter and crumb coating has an unpleasant flavour to it.

I come here occasionally when I am in need of hot food after a long night out, as it is fast and hot food, but for those with a little more time on there hands, there are many other places in the city to visit.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Hakata Gensuke

168 Russell Street, Melbourne

As arguably one of the most popular ramen restaurants in Melbourne, Hakata Gensuke has been drawing huge amounts of people to their Russel Street restaurant, which has resulted in a large line outside the restaurant and waiting times of up to half an hour for a table.

Small restaurant

Gyoza (10 Pieces) $9.00

The gyoza at Hakata Gensuke was better than gyoza that I have tried in specialty gyoza restaurants. They were both seasoned and cooked well with a good amount of filling, but the thing I liked the most was the skin, which is made in a temperature and humidity controlled room along with the noodles.

Kaedama $2.00

Signature tonkotsu $13.00

As the name suggests, the ramen served at Hakata Gensuke is the style of ramen from Hakata in Fukuoka. Fukuoka is known for its pork dishes and Hakata, in particular, is known as the home of tonkotsu ramen. The Hakata style of ramen known for its rich pork flavour and texture is replicated well at Hakata Gensuke, with a rich and flavourful broth and noodles that can be cooked to your liking.

Although I had to wait outside for 30 minutes in the rain before I was able to get a seat, the ramen which warmed me up thoroughly was worth the wait. I will definitely come back for both the rich and vibrant food and atmosphere.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10 

Tim Ho Wan

206 Bourke Street, Melbourne

Tim Ho Wan originated in Hong Kong as a small dim sum restaurant in Mong Kok by Chef Mak Kwai Pui and Chef Leung Fai Keung. With decades of experience under their belts, including working at the 3 Michelin starred Lung King Heen, the chefs of Tim Ho Wan have slowly been expanding their name across Asia and and Australia. 

Four months ago Tim Ho Wan opened their first store in Melbourne and the restaurant has been packed since then, with customers lining up all the way around the corner to try the famous dim sum.

 Melbourne's Bourke Street

 Spacious interior

 Vermicelli roll with shrimp $7.80

The shrimp roll was the least favourite of the dishes I tried. It had nothing to set it apart from the other yum-cha restaurants that I would normally order this dish from and one of the rolls seemed to be missing some of the filling from one third of the roll.

 Prawn dumpling $8.30

Prawn dumplings are my favourite dish at yum-cha and dim sum restaurants. The prawn dumplings here do not have much difference from the usual prawn dumplings in terms of flavour, but the thickness of the dough and the amount of filling was just right.

Baked bun with BBQ pork $7.80

The baked buns with BBQ pork are one of Tim Ho Wan's signature dishes. Instead of the traditional steamed outer bun, they instead choose to use a sweeter baked bun which is reminiscent of a pineapple bun's topping. I found the first bite of the pork bun would lack much filling so the sweet pastry would be overpowering, but after that first bite the mixture of the sweet pastry and the savoury pork filling work very well together.

Melbourne's Tim Ho Wan has received its fair share of criticism from many people. However, I found that although there were some small issues with some of the food, the overall quality and variety was quite good. That being said, it still cannot be compared to the dim sum that I have had in Hong Kong, including the Tim Ho Wan known for receiving a one Michelin star rating.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Aqua S

QV Centre, 16 Red Cape Lane, Melbourne

Aqua S recently opened their first store in Melbourne at Melbourne's QV. As an incredibly popular soft-serve ice cream parlour in Sydney that is known for their sea salt soft-serve and beautiful toppings, Aqua S is very popular amongst those who like the show off their food on Instagram.

Huge crowd outside

I was originally walking though QV when I noticed a decent amount people carrying soft-serve cones with impressive looking toppings. After a bit of investigation I found a huge crowd lining up outside the newly opened Aqua S.

Choice of flavours and toppings

Warm colours

Aqua S logo

Sea salt with coconut & fairy floss $5.50

I ordered the sea salt and coconut ice cream with fairy floss topping as I love coconut and had to try their signature sea salt flavour. I enjoyed the coconut soft serve but felt that the flavour was quite weak and that the sea salt flavour overpowered it. The fairy floss topping was also carelessly dumped on the cone and practically fell off the moment I left the store.

As they were extremely busy I find it quite hard to judge my experience at Aqua S. If I were to come back it would definitely be when they are less busy. I would also recommend trying some of the other toppings, as although the fairy floss made for an impressive photo, it was not very practical.

Food Rating 5.5/10

Overall Rating 5.5/10

Tetsujin

Level 4, Emporium Melbourne, 295 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Tetsujin is a Japanese restaurant which gives you the option of either sitting at the sushi train, or the main restaurant area where you can order from their BBQ menu. I ended up at Tetsujin with a craving for Japanese food, however, I chose a seat in front of the sushi train as I was dining by myself.

Stylish storefront

The sushi train

Oyster with ponzu jelly $3.30

Seared scallop nigiri $3.30

Hoke roll $3.30

Uni gunkan $4.80

Arc shell nigiri $5.00

Toro nigiri $4.80

Spicy seared salmon nigiri $3.30

Raspberry lemonade

All of the sushi on the sushi train cost $3.30 and was similar in quality to the standard sushi you would find on any sushi train. They also offered some more premium types of sushi, such as the toro nigiri and uni gunkan which you could order from their menu. I found most of the sushi that I took from the train to be of decent quality, while the toro nigiri was absolutely lovely. Unfortunately I felt that the uni gunkan I ordered was not as fresh as it could have been.

The service at Tetsujin was quick and efficient but it also felt quite rushed as there were waiters and waitresses running around everywhere. Although the sushi at Tetsujin was only of average quality, I would definitely like to come back to try out their BBQ menu.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Ohsso

28 Hardware Lane, Melbourne

Ohsso is a small Korean restaurant located down by the Collins Street end of Hardware Lane. I have walked past the restaurant many times while heading towards Flinders Street Station, but I have never had a chance to try it. 

Collins Street end of Hardware Lane

Takeaway street food

They have a small window area where they offer Korean street food style takeaway such as dokbokki in paper cups or bowls, soups and fishcake skewers. This takeaway window always draws me towards the restaurant, as I have always enjoyed the atmosphere of the overseas street food stalls, such as in Hong Kong's Mong Kok.

The kitchen

Lunch bibimbap

Dokbokki $10.00

The dokbokki served here is the no frills version of dokbokki. There are no vegetables or fancy garnishes that some other restaurants have, which is most likely due to them storing the dokbokki for longer periods of time for takeaway customers. Although the flavour of the dish was good, I felt like the rice cakes were on the chewy side.

Mandoo with cabbage salad $7.00

The dinner menu had a lot of different dishes which I was interested in trying. Unfortunately the dish I originally ordered had run out as I was dining quite late. I ended up just ordering my usual Korean street food favourites, although I would definitely like to come back and try some of their more unique dishes.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Philippe

115 Collins Street, Melbourne


Philippe is a brand new French restaurant in the heart of Melbourne, which has taken over the space which once belonged to Brooks of Melbourne. The establishment is spearheaded by French chef Philippe Mouchel, which lends his experience from many previous Melbourne restaurants such as Deja Vue and PM24, as well as his training under one of France's most well known chefs, Paul Bocuse.

Down George Parade

Outside menu

Extensive bar

Although the bar range here is immense and looks brilliant, I can assure you that it is not here just for the looks. With an extensive wine menu and a knowledgeable staff, I found no trouble having a great wine paired with my meal.

Chefs on the pass

A lovely and modern kitchen and raw bar, which you can request seats at, faces the dining area, so you can appreciate the workmanship of the kitchen staff.

Spacious and bright dining area

Prepped chickens

Cheese and charcuterie selection

Lovely bread

Signature oysters $27.50

Selection of kitchen charcuterie $30.00

Truffled rotisserie chicken $110.00 (Serves 2 people) 

As I was booking our table for Philippe, I noticed that the menu had a seasonal truffle special which required two days notice. I immediately requested one of these as I enjoy both chicken and truffle and was interested in trying the dish.

Truffled rotisserie chicken breast

Ordering the chicken proved to be a great decision. The earthy aroma and flavour of the truffle inside the chicken penetrated the meat, while the extra slices of truffle on top gave it a slightly more intense flavour. Chicken is well known as a meat that is hard to cook properly, especially when the whole chicken is cooked together rotisserie style. The different cooking times normally required left the breast slightly dryer than I would have liked, but the dark meat was still incredibly juicy, tender and flavourful.

Truffled rotisserie chicken extra serve for sharing

We were served two servings of chicken breast along with all the other mains, however as the table was being cleared the rest of the dark meat was served to the table so that other guests could sample the dish.

Rotissoire lamb shoulder, grilled broccolini, borlotti bean ragout, natural jus $70.00 (Serves 2 people)

The lamb shoulder was a dish I would love to eat on a cold day. It was a  wonderful combination of hearty and warm flavours and the tender lamb which almost melted in my mouth.

Borlotti bean ragout

Collinson & Co Black Angus porterhouse 300g, cassis & red wine jus, polenta fries $39.50

The Black Angus porterhouse was the least impressive from the range of dishes we ordered. We ordered the steak medium rare however when we received the dish it was rare. The flavours of the jus and steak were very well developed, but the dish was only good compared to all of the great dishes that were served.

Rockling, shellfish ragout, soupe de poisson, celery rissoto, sauce rouille $35.00

The rockling was my favourite dish of the night. The tender fish was served on top of a bed of flavourful rissoto and sauce. The different textures of the dish helped create an enjoyable experience and made you want to keep eating more.

Grilled Belgian endive $9.00

If I did not know that the person behind this new restaurant already had huge amounts of experience, I would have been surprised. The entire dinner experience went by smoothly, from the food and drinks to the service we received. A great overall dining experience from a great French restaurant, I look forward to Philippe growing into a well known name in the Melbourne French restaurant scene.

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9/10