Hakata Gensuke Chicken Ramen

200 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Although Hakata is generally known for their pork dishes and intensely flavoured pork based ramen, there are many people that cannot have pork in their diet. The Hakata Gensuke branch in Melbourne's QV is dedicated to only serving chicken based ramen, as well as replacing their popular pork gyoza with a chicken variant.

 Chicken gyoza $9

One of my favourite things about Hakata Gensuke is their gyoza and the chicken gyoza served at the QV branch of Hakata Gensuke is no exception.

 God fire tori $13

Signature tori ramen $12

The chicken based ramen served at Hakata Gensuke's QV branch is quite different from any of the ramen served at the other branches. Traditionally, the Hakata area of Japan's Fukuoka is known for their use of pork in their dishes. With the switch to chicken as a base instead of the pork used in the other branches, the flavour of the broth becomes much lighter. While I personally enjoy the deep flavour that the fat from the pork imparts on ramen, trying different types of bases is definitely something I recommend all ramen lovers.

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

Belleville

Globe Alley, Melbourne

Belleville is a restaurant and bar which specialises in their signature rotisserie chicken. Before heading to Belleville I was given high expectations from a friend, which described their chicken as "the best roast chicken in the city", which is very high praise. The entrance itself is hidden down Globe Alley in Melbourne's Chinatown and even after I found the entrance, I still had some trouble finding my way up to the restaurant.

Belleville - Globe Alley

Quarter rotisserie chicken $9.00

Unfortunately, as I was hyped up about the chicken at Belleville, I left with some disappointment. The miso-butter glaze worked quite well, but the chicken was overcooked and dry. A large amount of the skin had burnt to a char so it was hard to discern the flavours. For the sauce, I chose the "HOT AS F#@K" sauce also known as the "Liu Kang Fireball". The sauce itself packed quite a punch and was extremely spicy, but the flavours were still pronounced. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Tony Jaa taco $7.00

Named after legendary Thai martial artist Tony Jaa, the Tony Jaa taco had char-grilled octopus and prawns with freeze-dried mandarin, nam phrik and an "Ong Bak herb salad". Ong Bak is one of Tony Jaa's most well known films and in a way can be used to describe the fragrant yet aggressive Thai flavours of the taco.

Lobster bomb $4.50

The lobster bomb was a tasty treat on its own, however as it is supposed to be a dish based on lobster mac and cheese, the cheese was very overpowering. The Japanese mustard was a good touch and lifted the dish up a little.

The experience was fun with helpful and friendly staff, however even though most of the food was good, the roast chicken which they are known for was a little disappointing. I quite enjoyed myself there so hopefully it was only a once off problem, as I would like to return to try more of the menu.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Mamasita

1/11 Collins Street, Melbourne

As one of the most well known and popular Mexican restaurants in Melbourne, Mamasita is notorious for being difficult to find a table during their dinner service. Their long queue times are not the only thing they are known for through, as they are one of the leaders of the Mexican restaurant expansion in Melbourne and boast an impressive range of tequila and mezcal.

Specialist tequila & mezcal bar

Tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa $10.00

We started off the night with some of their tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa, as well as some tequila and mezcal by recommendation of their mezcalier. The guacamole was nice and creamy but the salsa was slightly watery. The recommendations of their mezcalier were spot on though as we thoroughly enjoyed our first taste of authentic mezcal.

Street style corn $4.90

Corn on the cob is a popular street food in Mexico and has been adapted to many popular restaurants in Melbourne, each with their own twist. The corn at Mamasita has received many good reviews and praise so I definitely had to try it for myself. Unfortunately the corn that I was served was extremely mushy and did not have the natural sweetness I would expect. Ultimately all I could taste from the corn was the toppings.

Pork taco & Campechano taco $14.00

I couldn't decide which taco I wanted to try so I ordered two different ones. The campechano taco had beef cheek and the inclusion of cactus in it, however it did not stand out against the other taco. The second taco had pibil style pork hock with chicharrón and pickled red onion with pineapple on top, which had both lovely flavour and texture, albeit a bit heavy.

The food had some highlights as well as some disappointments to it, however most of my experience from the night was based solely on the service. The service for the night started out magnificently. The person who I believe was the mezcalier gave us a basic run through of tequila, mezcal and the differences between the two, after which he asked us about our preferences which he used to give us more information and recommendations for drinks. We were really happy with this service and I personally was prepared to give Mamasita a high rating for their service alone. However, our food was served by another waiter who simply slammed it down onto the table without even looking at us. When we were ready to pay, the same waiter who slammed the food onto our table took our bill. I paid in large notes as I did not have any change, but the waiter simply assumed all of it was the tip (it was a sizable amount) and did not offer any change, which I thought was extremely rude. To be honest, I was having a good night until the end of it and after I left Mamasita I was left in a sour mood.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 5.5/10

Woochon

380 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Woochon is known between our friends as "that boiled beef restaurant" after we visited once for dinner and my friend made the mistake of ordering a dish of boiled beef which was almost laughably bad and expensive (we do have a laugh at his expense every now and then). We found ourselves heading to Woochon to try it one more time as they are open 24/7 and we found ourselves hungry in the CBD at 1am.

Woochon

Side dishes

Kimchi pancake $18.00

Although the kimchi pancake smelled lovely coming out and looked tasty, it was a bit disappointing. The pancake itself was too doughy and not crispy at all, while the taste was on the bland side, which I did not know was possible when using an ingredient with a strong flavour profile such as kimchi.

Chicken giblet $18.00

The chicken giblets suffered from the same problems that affected the kimchi pancake. The giblets had become overcooked and rubbery and even though the dish had chilli and other ingredients incorporated, it was still bland and lacked any discernible seasoning.

Woochon provided quite a disappointing experience. All of the food we ordered was cooked poorly and underseasoned, which leaves me thinking that the only thing Woochon has going for it is that they are open 24/7.

Food Rating 6/10

Overall Rating 6/10

Boilermaker House

209-211 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Boilermaker House is the second Melbourne venue to be opened by Speakeasy Group, which is behind one of Melbourne's best Speakeasy cocktail bars, Eau de Vie. Opening over a year ago, Boilermaker House has chosen to take a more laid back and rustic feel, which extends to both the decor and the atmosphere with low lighting and bare walls.

Boilermaker House

Lonsdale Street entrance

Hundreds of whiskeys on display

As you walk into the bar, one of the first things you will notice are the 800+ bottles of whiskey on display on the back bar. But those bottles are not there just for show. With an almost as impressive range of beers rotating on tap, as well as staff with the knowledge to make the most of their massive range, Boilermaker House has cemented itself as one of Melbourne's best bars.

Rustic decor

Fresh oysters $12.00

On Wednesday they offer $1.00 oysters until they run out. Up until recently, I used to try and get to Boilermaker House early every Wednesday that I was available, as I absolutely adore oysters. The oysters come served fresh in a Laphroaig box with lemon wedges and a tangy dressing, and are a great accompaniment to their drinks menu. 

Signature venison burger $19.00

The venison burger is something I order every time I go to Boilermaker House. The thick and perfectly cooked venison burger patty served in between grilled sesame seed buns contained a crispy, fried textural element over a normal salad. While the venison burger is not the best burger that I have ever tasted, it is the type of simple burger that I enjoy and definitely in the top few burgers I have tried.

In the short year or so that they have been open, Boilermaker House has gained a reputation as one of the best bars in Melbourne. With a solid variety of food, knowledgeable and friendly staff as well as a vast collection of whiskeys and beers it is easy to see why.

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9/10