Fonda Chadstone

1003/1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone

When it comes to Mexican restaurants, Fonda is one that I speak of a lot. Other than being one of the larger chains of Mexican restaurants in Melbourne, they also serve good quality food at a decent price in a relaxed atmosphere. Which is why I find myself visiting their one many restaurants whenever I need a Mexican fix.

Tortilla crisps

Char-grilled corn

Char-grilled corn is a must-try dish whenever visiting any Mexican restaurant, as nobody can resist the temptation of some juicy char-grilled corn, as well as slight kick from the chipotle aioli and queso. As usual, the dish did not disappoint us, and after finishing it up quickly, it made me want to order more.

Pork quesadilla

Fish tacos

Fish tacos are usually something I avoid ordering when I dine out, as I usually have sub-par experiences with them, however I decided to give it a go as I haven't really been disappointed by any of the other dishes from Fonda. Luckily this would remain true, as the fish taco was anything but a disappointment. The fish itself was quite delicate, which paired well with the slight acidity from the lime and pickled vegetables. 

As usual I was not disappointed by my visit to Fonda in Chadstone. The staff were efficient in finding us a table even during a busy hour and the food came out quickly. The consistent good quality of the food and the service which I receive no matter which branch of the restaurant I visit, are just some of the reasons that I consistently visit Fonda.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Marae Izakaya

1003/1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone

Along with the expansion of Chadstone shopping centre almost 2 years ago came the addition of the Dining Terrace, an area which houses many big names in dining, such as Fonda Mexican, New Shanghai and Burger Project, as well as Marae Izakaya. Marae Izakaya is a Japanese style restaurant which boasts a diverse range of dining styles, from bentos, to al a carte dishes, as well as an impressive omakase sushi train.

The prices are a bit higher than other sushi trains that I have been to, but that is most likely attributed to the premium that comes with being located in the heavy traffic of Chadstone shopping centre. The dishes are definitely of a higher quality than other cheaper sushi trains that I have frequented, so the higher price you pay for the dishes has definitely not gone to waste. 

However, due to the high volume of people that were dining there when I visited, I found the range of items on the train was quite lacking. I'm not sure if this was because their menu simply had less items than I expected, or if they were adjusting to the high amount of customers they had. Either way I would definitely have enjoyed it more if there were more choices for me on the train, instead of having to order separate dishes.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

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

Cucinetta

Shop 4, 3 Murphy Street, South Yarra

From the outside, Cucinetta looks like any other small restaurant around the South Yarra area. However, they are one of only a few Italian restaurants in Melbourne to offer the "cheese wheel pasta". Apart from this specialty dish, they also offer a variety of Italian dishes on their ever changing menu.

Cucinetta

Cheese wheel pasta - cacio e pepe $23.00

Cacio e pepe is one of my favourite Italian pasta dishes, along with the Roman carbonara. Although it may seem like a relatively basic dish at first glance, cacio e pepe is a rich dish with defined characteristics, which allows you to enjoy the flavours of the cheese and pasta with a hint of cracked black pepper incorporated into it. 

There really isn't much to say about the cheese wheel cacio e pepe at Cucinetta, other than to simply give it praise. The pasta was cooked perfectly so that when it was finished, there was just the right amount of resistance, and just the right amount of cheese coated each of the rigatoni noodles after it was finished in the cheese wheel. Some black pepper and a small grating of cheese on top finished the dish perfectly, with the option to add truffle oil on top for an extra three dollars.

Although I have never visited Cucinetta for their other dishes, after just trying the cacio e pepe, I am more than happy to recommend people with a love for cheese and pasta to book a visit to Cucinetta.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Gyoza Gyoza Doncaster

Westfield Doncaster, 619 Doncaster Road, Doncaster

A long time ago when only the Bourke street location was open, Gyoza Gyoza was one of my favourite places to visit for some Japanese-style gyoza. Since then they have expanded and opened a few new branches in the city as well as Westfield Doncaster and Chadstone. 

Pan-fried pork and garlic gyoza $4.80

As Gyoza Gyoza is a restaurant that specialises in Japanese gyoza, we had to try the pan-fried pork and garlic gyoza. The filling of the gyoza was quite fragrant with a nice texture, and the skin was the perfect thickness, which made the gyoza a tasty bite. I did however find that most of the gyoza only had a tiny bit off filling which was a little bit disappointing.

Soft shell crab mini burger $6.80

I was also slightly disappointed by the soft shell crab burger. The soft shell crab wasn't as crispy as I would expect and the other ingredients in the burger weren't quite balanced. 

I wont deny that Gyoza Gyoza definitely lives up to their name serving delicious gyoza, albeit with some serving size issues. The problem I found though was that although they are a gyoza specialty restaurant, their menu has a huge amount of different dishes ranging from the soft shell crab burgers we tried, to beef tatare and oysters. This problem inevitably leads to some dishes of low quality finding their way through, which is a problem many restaurants with large menus face.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7/10