The French Brasserie

2 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne 


While French cuisine is very prominent throughout Melbourne, there are only a select few restaurants that really stand out from the rest. The French Brasserie is one of these restaurants and is also the first restaurant I think of when looking for French cuisine in the CBD. With a history of good food, events and lovely decor, The French Brasserie has made itself into one of the most popular French restaurants in Melbourne.

Classy interior

Outdoor area

Potato gratin $11.00

The potato gratin was quite an impressive side dish that I quite enjoyed the flavour of. The large amount of potato was cooked very nicely, however after eating half of the dish, the richness became a little overwhelming. I would definitely recommend ordering this dish but only if you can share it with somebody.

Pommes frittes

Assiette sétoise - Calamari and pork farce, cuttlefish pie, herb Napoli, aioli, squid ink - $23.00

Agneau provençal - Lamb rump, ratatouille, eggplant and goat cheese pressed, tapenade, goats curd, lamb jus - $42.00

I decided to order the lamb rump for my main course as I wanted to try something different from the steak or duck that I would normally order at a French restaurant. The lamb in the dish was incredibly juicy and tender, with an amazing flavour addition from the lamb jus. The addition of the ratatouille worked very well with the dish, however the goats curd was an element of the dish which I felt did not add enough.

Minute steak - 160gm eye fillet, caramelised shallots, bone marrow, red wine jus (served with pommes frittes) - $43.00

My friend ordered the minute steak with caramelised shallots, bone marrow and red wine jus. After trying some of this dish, I can honestly say that this was one of the most tender and flavourful steak dishes that I have every tried. The eye fillet, although extremely tender still managed to maintain texture, while the red wine jus imparted an extremely intense, yet not overpowering flavour.

Crème brûlée

I do not know what happened in the kitchen between receiving our excellent mains and ordering our dessert, but the crème brûlée we ordered was almost inedible. Although the texture of the dish was excellent, the sugar on the top was incredibly burnt which permeated an extremely bitter flavour throughout the entire dish.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Din Tai Fung

Emporium Melbourne, Level 4, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Din Tai Fung is perhaps most famously known for receiving a Michelin star in their Hong Kong branch in Tsim Sha Tsui. The reception was amazing for when they opened their first branch in Sydney, and in 2015, Din Tai Fung opened its first branch in Melbourne's Emporium. While it was almost impossible to find a seat there during the opening weeks, Din Tai Fung is now a lot quieter and a great place to relax and enjoy various types of dumplings and other regional dishes.

Din Tai Fung

Vegetarian delight $6.80

Shanghai style drunken chicken $10.80

Shanghai style drunken chicken is a style of preparing chicken by steeping it in alcohol, usually rice wine. The dish was served cold and was very fragrant, however the portion was quite small when compared to the price of the dish.

Mango shrimp roll $8.80

Spicy shrimp & pork wonton with dry noodle $13.80

Cha jian mian with minced pork $13.80

Spicy shrimp & pork wonton $10.80

Xiao long bao $12.80

Xiao long bao are a variety of steamed bun from the Jiangnan region in China. They are also sometimes referred to as soup dumplings, as they are filled with meat and soup, so when they are bitten into, the flavourful soup oozes out of the bun.

At Din Tai Fung, the xiao long bao is known as their specialty, with many varieties on offer. The xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung has a thin outer skin while still retaining all of the flavourful broth in the dumpling, which makes the xiao long bao very delicate.

The overall experience at Din Tai Fung was quite pleasant. While the service was not particular top notch, this was made up for in their food. The food had a huge amount of variety and even though we ordered a large variety of dishes, you could tell that quite a lot of care was put into making the dishes.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Universal

138-141 Lygon Street, Carlton

Universal is known throughout Melbourne as one of the go to places for a chicken parma or a chicken schnitzel. While specifically known to most people simply for their chicken parma and schnitzel, Universal also boasts a large range of Italian cuisine classics on their menu, as you would expect from an Italian restaurant on Lygon Street.

Universal

Universal chicken schnitzel

Chicken parmagiana

The chicken parmagiana is a specialty of Universal that is well known to many Melbournians and as such, Universal is my go to place whenever I am craving chicken parma. The chicken was cooked very well overall, with a wonderfully browned crumb coating which covers the well cooked chicken. The chicken was not incredibly dry, which is a problem I have noticed in chicken parmas that I try elsewhere. The other aspects of the dish were also good, such as a good amount of cheese and sauce, the beer-battered chips as well as Italian slaw.

While Universal has only ever been known to me as "the chicken parma place", the next time I visit, I will definitely be trying some of their other offerings from the expansive Italian influenced menu.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10 

Wonton House

966 Whitehorse Road, Box HIll

Wonton House is wonton noodle restaurant which was recently opened in Box Hill, replacing the old Ramen Bankara. They are a subsidiary of the Secret Kitchen chain of Chinese restaurants, which gives them some credibility, as Secret Kitchen is a vastly successful and well known brand in Melbourne.  Although I generally do not visit Chinese restaurants very often, I recently had a pleasant experience with Secret Kitchen so I decided to give them a try.

Watermelon crush

Pineapple juice

Lobster noodle

The lobster noodle was a special dish that they were offering at the time I visited Wonton House. The dish was very similar to the Cantonese dish of wok tossed lobster and noodles, which is quite a common dish in Chinese restaurants such as Secret Kitchen. However, unlike the dishes you would find in a Chinese restaurant, there was only a tiny amount of lobster in the shells which was disappointing, although the noodles were cooked well.

Pork liver noodle soup

My overall opinion of Wonton House is that it was simply average. The staff which served us looked like they did not want to be there, so the service felt bad even though it was not terrible. The food served at Wonton House was quite mediocre. While it was not bad, I felt that there was nothing special about it and that the price, especially for the lobster noodle, was not justified in comparison to the quality of the dish.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6/10

Dex2rose

377 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Whenever I have spare time in the CBD, I love travelling around and finding new and different places to try. Dex2rose is a small and hidden nitrogen gelato restaurant which also serves other items such as hot and cold drinks, as well as other dessert items, such as Belgian Waffles and Crepe Cakes.

Salted caramel crepe cake 

The Crepe Cakes are a new addition to the menu since my last visit to Dex2rose. Each individual element of the dish was absolutely excellent, with lovely yet delicate flavours which are not overpoweringly sweet. Although the dish was excellent, the crepe cake itself, while incredibly tasty was overshadowed by the other elements on the dish.

Not your granny's apple pie

Not your granny's apple pie is the flavour that I enjoy the most at Dex2rose. The smooth milk gelato is churned with apples and served with warm apples chunks, cream and cinnamon sugar. The flavour is absolutely flawless and the gelato is also fun to eat, as it is served in a cone which is then placed upside down into the gelato cup.

Dex2rose is one of the best places that I have discovered while travelling around the CBD. Not only is the gelato amazing, but the atmosphere is lovely and cozy, which makes Dex2rose a great place to relax at. The staff at Dex2rose have always been absolutely amazing, friendly and accommodating, serving me and my friends with a smile. The first time I visited Dex2rose they were about to close, but the staff welcomed us in as soon as they saw us at the door and served us some of the best gelato that I have ever had. Ever since then I have been hooked and would recommend Dex2rose to everyone!

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9.5/10