Big Mama - Carlton

With a craving for cheap Korean/Jap food, the uni squad headed to Big Mama. Over the last 3 years, we have come here countless of times. Between the 4 of us, we ordered the Chilli Chicken Karaage ($14.80), Korean BBQ Beef ($15), Kim Chi Ji Gye ($15) and Teriyaki Chicken Don ($9.50) and 3 servings of rice ($2 ea). 

Chilli Chicken Karaage

This was delicious, which is why we order it every single time. The chicken is more sweet than spicy but just so addicting. Yum!

Korean BBQ Beef

We wanted variety so we went with the beef. The flavours were there but the beef was sliced a tad too thin for my liking. It was the most neglected dish out of the 4.

Kim Chi Ji Gye

The kim chi soup was warm and a good spoonful to have in between all the meat we had. We were promised pork but I'm fairly sure there were only 2-3 tiny pieces. The flavour was pleasant.

Teriyaki Chicken Don

This tasted like every other teriyaki chicken ever. Nothing special but still good to eat so no complaints from us.

Dat spread. Much wow.

Overall, we had a great time at Big Mama. The servings were pretty generous and we were so full by the end of our feed. The free side dishes were a nice touch. Honestly, you can't go wrong with ordering the Chilli Chicken Karaage, it goes off every time. Would I go here again? Most definitely and an added bonus is that it is very close to RMIT.


Taste: 8.5/10
Presentation: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Value for Money: 8/10 (~$15 pp)

Baotime - Richmond

To be completely honest, I have been to Baotime around 4 times and I love it each time. My previous photos have been lost some where but here's an insight from my most recent visits. I absolutely love the flavours of the baos and each time I'm here there's always something new to try. From my last visit in July to the one last night there were literally 2 pages of options I needed to try ASAP, especially all the dessert baos. I would recommend going with a group as there are so many options.

My favourites that I get every time I go would have to be the Captain Baoger, the pork is so tender and full of flavour, I crave it every time. Also a must is the Mr Potato Fries (burnt butter fries), I've never tried this elsewhere and so the first time and every time I've had it I love it so much, especially with some sriracha mayo on the side. And of course my favourite drink there is the Lychee Soda!

July visit
Chilli crab bao ($9.5) soft shell crab cooked in a chilli broth
Captain Baoger ($7.5) braised pork belly with crushed peanuts

Teriyaki Chicken ($15)

K-Style yum yum chicken ($15)

The korean fried chicken here is also one of my favourites. The chicken skin is so crispy without the meat being dry and I love the sweet sticky sauce.

October visit
Back- Lobster bao ($12) lobster meat with mayo and pineapple salad
Baodown combo ($10) (front) Captain Baoger + Mr Potato Fries

Gangnam Pancake ($12)
Kimchi pancake covered in cheese lava

I normally don't like cheese however these pancakes and the cheese tasted really good together.

BAONUTS!! Set for 4 mini baonuts ($10)
Salted caramel & honeycomb, nutella, coco puff and housemade kaya jam

I have been wanting to try the Baonuts since I saw them pop up on my instagram feed and they did not disappoint! Nice and crispy, I can't wait to try the other flavours in the regular size.

Jes is always so helpful and attentive, I look forward to coming here soon in the near future to try more desserts and main dishes.

Sushi Burger - CBD

After much hype and anticipation, I visited Sushi Burger on my uni break. Sadly they ran out of the Soft Shell Crab Burger so I opted for the Hamburg (pan fried beef and pork patty) Sushi Burger with Kani Croquette (deep fried creamy mashed potato w/ crab meat) [$12.50]. S ordered the Teriyaki Salmon Sushi Burger with Tatsuta Age (deep fried marinated chicken) [$12.50]. A got the Fried Chicken (deep fried marinated chicken breast fillet w/ tartare sauce & teriyaki sauce) with Tonkatsu (deep fried crumbed pork fillet) [$15].

Hamburg Sushi Burger

Nothing special about the Hamburg since I was expecting more flavour tbh. Bonus was that since it was an actual patty, the burger was super dooper easy to eat.

Teriyaki Salmon Sushi Burger

S enjoyed her burger. She said the salmon was pretty soft which made everything fall apart real quick.

Fried Chicken Sushi Burger

A thought his burger was alright. However, it also fell apart easily so he basically inhaled it. He would've preferred a bigger portion though.

Kani Croquette (3p)

The croquettes were nice but they were sooooooooo creamy. I could not taste the crab at all.

Tatsuta Age (3p)

The fried chicken was on point, probably the best bite I had here. I liked the coleslaw under the chicken which my croquette dish lacked.

Tonkatsu (3p)

This was a tad burnt so it was pretty dry to eat. 

Overall, we all had a pretty underwhelming experience. The sides were more memorable than the burgers tbh. The burgers were around $6 each and you could get 3 sushi rolls for that price so we figured portions could've been a bit bigger. While everything was nice, nothing particularly stood out about this lunch and restaurant. I don't think I will be coming back any time soon. 

Taste: 6.5/10

Presentation: 7.5/10

Service: 7/10

Value for Money: 7/10

 

Dude Food Man - Essendon

After a long day of placement, K.V. and I caught up over some burgers and milkshakes at Dude Food Man in Essendon. We ordered the Dude Burger (wagyu patty, American cheddar, pickles, caramelised onions, iceberg, tomatoes, ketchup, American mustard & aioli) [$13], the Southern Fried Chicken Burger (spicy chicken fillet, American cheddar, iceberg, tomatoes, chipotle mayo & hand made BBQ sauce) [$13], Mac & Cheese Slappers (3 for $6) and Salted Caramel Shake ($6) to share.

Southern Fried Chicken Burger

The Southern Fried Chicken was so succulent and tender. I was a massive fan of this and I thought it lived up to the hype. The burger bun was just so buttery and the flavours accompanied each other very well. The tiniest complaint would be making the batter just a tad crispier. 

Dude Burger

The beef burger was such a disappointment compared to the chicken burger. It was far too salty and overpowering. The salad was fresh but it wasn't enough. K.V. couldn't even finish her half because it was too much. Boo for the Dude Burger :( 

Mac & Cheese Slappers

These were super dooper crispy and fun to eat. While it was a tad bland on its own, it was great with the sauce. God, that sauce was good with everything, we even dipped our burgers in it. 

Overall, K.V and I had a pretty good time at Dude Food Man. We had lots to catch up on and our meal was pretty satisfying since we split everything. The salted caramel milkshake was delish but I prefer my shakes to have a better ice mix rather than cold milk tbh. I've heard the chips are amazing and my sister went later in the week and confirmed that they were. It was surprisingly only a 20 minute drive so I would defo consider coming here again.   

Taste: 7/10 (Chicken > Beef 100%) 

Presentation: 8.5/10

Service: 8/10

Value for Money: 8/10 

 

Rooftop Bar - CBD

We were in the mood for burgers and it was a surprisingly nice day where the sun was actually shining. Rooftop Bar it was, for some tasty af burgers from Beatbox Kitchen. I went here a couple years ago and it was packed like crazy. Luckily, as it was quite chilly we were able to grab a table that overlooked the city. We all ordered the Burger on Special ($10) which had a beef patty, double cheese, onion rings, lettuce, mayo and BBQ sauce. I requested a slice of tomato in mine which they happily agreed to with no extra charge, score! We also grabbed some chips (extra $3) and onion rings ($8) as well. Not sure what we were thinking at 1pm in the afternoon but we the girls also grabbed a jug of Sangria ($35) just because we could.

Burger on Special w/ my tomato WOOP

The burger was quite a mouthful but it was oh so good. The onion rings had a nice crispy coating and the sauces married well with each other. I loved the freshness the tomato gave to it and who doesn't love cheese.

Seasoned Wedges ($8)

Burger on Special w/ Fries Combo ($13)

The sauce for the chips was pretty yummy. It tasted like a creamier Big Mac sauce.

Sangria o'clock

The rooftop bar vibe was great and it was hilarious watching Mingang get drunker by the minute. I am not a fan of red wine so I gladly poured her a couple more glasses than necessary. The burgers were as delish as I remembered. I would defo go again in the summer :)

   
Taste: 8.5/10
Presentation: 8.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Value for Money: 8.5/10

Kokoro Ramen - CBD

The theme for CBD lunch eats seems to be ramen for my uni squad this Winter. This particularly freezing day, we decided to go to Kokoro Ramen on Lonsdale Street. I've been here once before but only grabbed a few side dishes so I was excited to slurp up some delicious ramen. I was eyeing the Sapporo Miso ($13.50) and then discovered that there was a lunch special which included a small ramen + karaage, salad and a rice ball for only $9.80. S and I ordered the lunch special with Tokyo Shoyu and Sapporo Miso, respectively. A also ordered the Tokyo Shoyu w/ Fried Chicken with an extra serving of noodles and egg for $15.50. Mingang got the Hakata Tonkotsu Shoyu w/ Pork Belly ($15.50) and K ordered ramen in a claypot OOOH.

I love it when I eat ramen and I don't have to add any condiments to it. This was the case with the Sapporo Miso. The chilli oil was great and all the flavours tied in together nicely. The meat wasn't as tender as Fukuryu Ramen but all the other sides were enjoyable, especially the egg. One more ladle of the broth would've been great because it just looked a bit deflated tbh.

God, I love variety so damn much and this was right up my alley. The chicken was fab, tick, the onigiri had good texture, tick and there were some veggies, tick tick tick!

Lunch Special: Small Sapporo Ramen + Karaage, Salad & Onigiri

Did I mention there were free and unlimited sides of kimchi and picked ginger? YES YES YES!
The kimchi was on pointttttt.

Tokyo Shoyu w/ Fried Chicken

A was a dumbass and ordered extra noodles which he barely touched because the serving size was pretty generous. It was a shame that his chicken lost its crispy coating because it was sitting the broth. The curly noodles had a better taste than the thin straight noodles I had though.

Lunch Special: Small Tokyo Shoyu + Karaage, Salad & Onigiri

S enjoyed her meal but said the broth was a tad too salty for her liking.

Overall, we had an ace time at Kororo Ramen. The service was lovely, from shouting Japanese greetings from at the door to patiently explaining the lunch menu to me. The lunch menu was the best deal ever, as I had a super fulfilling meal for under 10 bucks. I just found out that they offer Tsukemen in the Summer so I wouldn't mind coming back just for that.


Taste: 8.5/10
Presentation: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Value for Money: 8.5/10 (Under $10, soooooo good)

Cafe Cui - Footscray

I caught up with the boys at Cafe Cui the morning following FSOE. I was completely drained from my night out but it wasn't going to stop me from brunch. I ordered the Moroccan Spiced Chicken Egg Bake ($14). P and M ordered the Southern Fried Chicken w/ Herb Fries & Salad and B and I got the Porterhouse Steak w/ Herb Fries ($24).

My Moroccan Spiced Chicken Egg Bake

The Moroccan Chicken was what I needed on this chilly morning. The eggs were perfectly poached as it oozed yolk. The roti was light and great for mopping up the sauce and yolk. The flavour was pleasant and not unlike a chicken curry my mum makes at home. I would have preferred a couple more dollops of yoghurt and more spices to make this an ultimate dish.

Southern Fried Chicken

 P and M really enjoyed their chicken. It was coated in cornflakes which gave it a stupendous crunch without compromising the flavour of the chicken.

Porterhouse Steak w/ Herb Fries

Overall, we had a decent time. The boys ordered such lunch-y items when I was meant to take them for a brunch experience. Regardless, all our dishes were yummy and we left satisfied. I would probably come back with some girlfriends and split a few dishes including the famous lobster rolls or soft shell crabsliders. The location is great since it's just opposite Footscray Station. Service was very friendly and attentive.

Taste: 8/10
Presentation: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Value for Money: 8.5/10 ($14 for my dish, bargain!)