Punjabi Curry Cafe

87 Jonhston Street, Collingwood

Located on the busy Johnston Street in Collingwood, Punjabi Curry Cafe is a prime example of a restaurant which you should not judge by it's cover. Having driven past Punjabi Curry Cafe many times on my way to the city, the shopfront has never caught my eye, as it is quite cluttered and doesn't really draw much positive attention. However, after seeing the interior of the restaurant and trying the food they had to offer we were pleasantly surprised.

Interior

 Punjabi tandoori platter

The Punjabi tandoori platter was definitely our favourite dish of the night. It was exciting trying all the different flavours from the use of different spices and meats and the aroma definitely got our appetite going. The lamb cutlets were especially worthy of praise, as my friend who usually does not enjoy lamb found them amazing.

 Vegetable platter

The vegetable platter allowed us to try an assortment of their vegetarian entree dishes, such as the samosa, pakora, onion bahji and aloo tikki. The different flavours and textures presented in each of the elements on the dish gave us an insight into their use of spices and ingredients. The texture of each entree on the dish was wildly variant, where some of the large pieces were just a large mass of mush and others were so hard that biting into it hurt my mouth. This would have been less of a problem if the size of the pieces on the dish were reduced.

 Garlic naan

 Butter chicken

The butter chicken at Punjabi Curry Cafe is one of their most popular dishes and I can definitely understand why. The marinated pieces of chicken are cooked in butter, coriander, tomato and ginger to create a dish of tender and flavourful chicken in a smooth and mellow butter sauce.

 Aloo Gosht

The Aloo Gosht was quite similar to the butter chicken in the way that the spices and potatoes combined to make a great base for the dish in terms of flavour and texture. However, the one difference in how the dishes were made was an important one. The Aloo Gosht was a dish which had slow cooked beef as it's main ingredient and although this process made it so the beef was not tough, it still left the beef quite dry and stringy.

Initially we were a little skeptical due to the appearance of the restaurant, but we quickly found that you should not judge a book by it's cover. Although both the restaurant and the staff were quiet during the night and there were a few shortcomings in the dishes we were served, we still definitely enjoyed the food and found it delicious. I would definitely recommend giving Punjabi Curry Cafe a try, whether it be take-away or dine in, as the food is good and set at a reasonable price point.

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Punjabi Curry Cafe.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Sushi Jiro

Shop 68, 1 Main Street, Box Hill Central, Box Hill

Not too long ago, one of Box Hill's few sushi train restaurants, Edoya Sushi Train closed its doors on Whitehorse Road. This left the newly opened Sushi Jiro as one of the only sushi trains left in Box Hill. Sushi Jiro does not only have a sushi train though, as the takeaway sushi on sale in their shopfront is a popular choice for commuters stopping off at Box Hill Train Station, as well as shoppers.

The quality of the sushi served on the sushi train has its ups and downs, and would best be described as average. While most of the dishes which contained raw ingredients were quite tasty, the cooked or seared nigiri was slightly lacking in flavour, which was a little bit of a disappointment. Apart from those things, the jellyfish salad and the surf clam did not taste quite as fresh as they could have been and there were no labels or names on the sushi train, so it was quite difficult to figure out what was what.

While Melbourne has quite a few popular sushi trains which I would rather go to before I went to Sushi Jiro again, it was definitely not bad. As the only sushi train in Box Hill though, you will have to decide whether you value your travel time more or a slight improvement in the quality of your food.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Green Thai

Westfield Doncaster Shopping Centre, Level 1, 619 Doncaster Road, Doncaster

Recently I posted about a certain Thai restaurant which served me one of the worst tom yum noodle soups that I have ever tasted. Feeling completely unsatisfied, I made the journey to Westfield Doncaster's food court, where I have been ordering Green Thai's tom yum for many years. 

 Green Thai

 Tom yum

While the tom yum at Green Thai is not the best tom yum that I have ever tried, it is possibly the best that I have tried from a food court fast food restaurant. The tom yum had a well flavoured base, albeit not very spicy, as well as a good amount of seafood for the topping. My favourite thing about the tom yum though is that they give you a pile of fresh bean sprouts on top, which gives the dish a freshness and texture that you would not find from the soft and soggy beansprouts that other places usually have. Although some of Green Thai's pre cooked dishes may look questionable, the tom yum has never let me down.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10

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

DC Dumpling

590 Station Street, Melbourne

DC Dumpling is a small dumpling restaurant located across the street from Box Hill Central Shopping Center. As I live very close to Box Hill and dine there often, I found it strange that I had never visited DC Dumpling, especially since many of my friends absolutely love the place.

Hot & spicy ox tripe $9.50

The dish of ox tripe was a lot different from any other I have tried before. Usually Chinese restaurants use a spice oil reminiscent of Sichuan cuisine, however the tripe at DC Dumpling was very light with only the slightest amount of spice.

Hot & sour noodle soup $11.50

Hot and sour soup has many regional interpretations from all over Asia. The Chinese variation served at DC Dumpling is usually made hot and sour by the addition of red peppers or white pepper and vinegar. In this case I believe that they used white pepper, as the soup left the pleasant lingering fragrance of white pepper combined with a slight tang from the vinegar.

Home made noodle (dry) $12.50

I had a craving for the Chinese dish known as zhajiangmian, so I was disappointed when I couldn't find it on the menu after a quick glance. After a little bit of confusion, I was able to find out from the staff that the name on the menu for this dish was "Home made noodle (dry)". The portion size was huge and the flavours I expected were very well balanced, making DC Dumpling my new go to restaurant for zhajiangmian.

We also tried the boiled dumplings, however I was unable to take a photo of them, as we were incredibly hungry and dug into them without a second thought the moment they arrived.

Although the service was a little bit choppy, as well as having a menu that was hard to decipher, DC Dumpling offered us solid Chinese comfort food at very reasonable prices. Definitely a place to keep in mind if you are in Box Hill looking for a quick eat.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Pokéd

Shop 3, 551 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Pokéd is a brand new restaurant which brings the Hawaiian dish Poke to the heart of the Melbourne CBD. Excited to try the new addition of a Hawaiian classic, I rushed into the city the first day I was available after their grand opening.

Healeys Lane 

Poked

Salmon with crab salad white rice and crispy shallots

I decided to construct my own poke as none of the menu options appealed to me. However, I soon found out that they had run out of a large amount of their menu items including their tuna and their wonton crisps, both of which I was eager to try. 

The traditional poke began as a fisherman's dish which was based solely around the fish itself. The dish has evolved to include many different types of ingredients, but all of the variations still have the same focus on the fish. The poke that I ordered at Pokéd however, seemed closer to a salad than anything else. Although the dish had some well prepared elements and flavours that mingled well together, the 7 or so cubes of unseasoned salmon I received hardly resembled the poke which I was looking forward to.

The concept of Pokéd has a lot of potential behind it. They have put a large amount of thought behind many elements of the store including their fully recyclable packaging and their seats which allow you to sit in a posture that aids digestion. With a few minor improvements, I could see myself going to Pokéd a lot more frequently.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

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

The Booth

610 Station Street, Box Hill

Being a city with a large Asian community, there is no shortage when it comes to Taiwanese cuisine in Box Hill. The Booth is one of these restaurants that serve Taiwanese food but unlike some others they also have a store next door offering their desserts and bubble teas.

Across the street

Almost empty

As The Booth is open until midnight on most days it was almost completely empty when we came here for supper.

Watermelon ice blend

Thick rice noodle soup $9.90

Originally I was not sure on what to order, but when my friend picked the thick rice noodle soup and told me about it I also decided to order one. The dish which is a soup with thick rice noodles, pork, chitterlings with fried tofu in it was light yet flavourful, great for late night supper.

Although the food here is decent and cheap, the service is almost non-existent. I would definitely recommend coming if you are looking for a quick and cheap bite to eat, but don't expect much in terms of a full dining experience.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10