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While many are drawn to the Crown Complex at Melbourne for its gaming floor, I kept coming back for the food.

It was New Years Eve 2008 and amidst the loud crowd building up outside, Sho Noodle Bar was busy serving up plates of traditional Chinese cuisine and refilling pot after pot of really good tea.

There was a queue for proper tables so we took up the opportunity to sit at the bar which allowed me to witness the efficiency behind its open kitchen.

I was a little unsure of their four page tea menu, so the waiter talked me into trying the $6 pot of Qi Xian Nv Jasmine bloom tea which was as delicious as it was fascinating to watch. It was infused with soothing aromas of green tea and the perfect accompaniment to such a big meal! Yes, as usual, we over-ordered and over-ate, but the tea supported me well.

Jasmine blossoming tea, $6

Chinese condiments

Open kitchen

We shared a variety of Sho's specialty dishes including a spicy Assam fish curry with okra, tomatoes, onion and mint. We also had a selection of braised fungus and mushrooms which were cooked in a fragrant wine and garlic sauce. The earthy flavours were simply delectable. We followed with a staple plate of Singaporean stir-fried beehoon noodles which helped balance the rich dishes. Then I noticed the crayfish getting flash fried and tossed with honey, chilli and spring onions.As we shifted the dishes and teapots around to make room, the glistening dish arrived and we were hypnotized like munching machines.

Assam fish curry with okra, tomatoes, onion and mint, $16.80

Selection of braised fungus and mushrooms, $15.80

Singapore style noodles, $17.80

Wok-fried crayfish with honey, chilli and spring onion, $39.50

New Years Eve crowd at Melbourne

Come here for the extensive tea list and the well executed Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean dishes.

Sho Noodle Bar
Main gaming floor, Crown Entertainment Complex
8 Whiteman Street Southbank VIC
Phone: (03) 9292 6885

Reminder: my Taste Of Sydney double passes giveaway ends tomorrow! Get your entries in now >

Tia To is my favourite oriental herb. Also known as Tiet To, Vietnamese Perilla, shiso or Vietnamese Hojiso, this aromatic herb can jazz up anything. I love having it amongst other mints with lettuce, spring rolls, vermicelli, bean spouts and pickled radish, or wrapped tighly with fresh tuna in a sushi roll.

Tia To is also a glamourous Vietnamese restaurant in Melbourne's Crown Casino. The menu was an extensive list of traditional Vietnamese goodies and unlike the casual Vietnamese restaurants elsewhere, there was no sign of grubby chopsticks which needed to be pre-wiped with hot tea and a tissue. This royal red duo spoke a different type of elegance.

Menu part 1

Menu part 2

Chopsticks and ceramic soup spoon

My Ching Po Luong (sometimes referred to as Sam Bo Luong) was different too. It was the same sweet syrup drink but the barley peals, water chestnut and seaweed were absent. However, I still enjoyed the generous mix of dried longans, red dates and lotus seeds. We also had the authentic Vietnamese iced black coffee.

Ching Po Luong

Iced black coffee

The Salt and Pepper Squid was spectacularly crisp. The squid was amazingly tender and I simply loved how tightly the thin batter hung on to each piece. For $12, you would expect a little bit more, but it was a compromise of quality over quantity which I'd accepted.

Salt and pepper squid

The pho stock was sublime and much fancier than what I had expected. Gourmet pho, it was.

Fresh herb garnishes for pho, beef noodle soup

Pho dac biet aka. special beef noodle soup

Nuoc cham fish sauce

The spring rolls in my Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio were too miniature to be satisfying. Tasty slices of BBQ pork were scattered in a bowl with bean sprouts, cucumber, peanuts, vermicelli and the traditional favourite topping of shallots and pork lard. The crispiness of the crispy pork lard enhanced the flavours of this simple dish. It was bad for the body but ooh so good for the soul.

Bun thit nuong cha gio, BBQ sliced pork and pork spring roll on rice vermicelli

Tia To Vietnamese Restaurant
Main Gaming Floor
Phone: (03) 9292 6989

Open Sunday - Thursday 12noon - 12midnight
Friday and Saturday 12noon - 1am

Despite having dined at Rockpool Bar & Grill at Melbourne more than 2 months ago, I can still recall much of the very memorable meal. The service was immaculate and staff whom were well educated on the menu were keen to help the indecisive with their knowledge of preparation techniques and ingredients.

Rockpool Bar and Grill Melbourne's menu - part I

The menu was dated on the top right corner which gave it a very fresh feel. The website menu is updated daily too I think! Today's one is up-to-date anyway. I am impressed with Neil Perry's attention to detail and care factor, which not only shows on his blog but the entrance to his restaurants. Its core values are on display as you walk past an array of dry aged beef. They boast that there's up to 5 tonnes of beef aging at any one time.

Rockpool Bar and Grill Melbourne's menu - part II

Grass fed and wagyu beef aged in fridge

Bread and butter

Zen started with the Four Raw Tastes of the Sea which consisted of double sharp cuts of ocean trout, yellow fin tuna, flathead and Hiramasa kingish. Served with fresh horseradish for a kick and organic soy dressing, it was premium sashimi served well.

Four raw tastes of the sea

I on the other hand tossed between some drool-worthy hot starters and ended up with the divine Duck Ragu with Pappardelle Noodles. The lusciously wide pasta strands were satisfyingly rich and the duck was as tender as it can be.

Duck ragu with pappardelle noodles

The menu emphasized on a thoughtful combination of really good produce with uncomplicated cooking techniques.

The perfectly cooked 400g rump of Greenham's grass fed yearling beef had been dry aged for 48 days. It was served with a 2 generous pots of horseradish cream and bearnaise sauce.

Greenham's dry aged grass fed yearling beef, 400g rump, aged for 48 days

My spicy mussel and saffron stew with wood fire grilled seafood, ciabatta and aioli was magnificent for all the right reasons. The broth was a perfect saltiness, the grilled seafood added an extra dimension of flavour and there was just enough bread to soak up the goodness. Could this have been my most favourite main meal ever?

Spicy mussel and saffron stew with wood fire grilled seafood and aioli

The wintery aroma of the potato and cabbage gratin was almost more splendid. The crisp lid of parmesan and breadcrumbs were golden and so flavoursome. It was the ultimate side dish.

Side dish of potato and cabbage gratin

As simple as salads can be, Rockpool's palm sugar vinaigrette brought deliciousness to a basic salad mix of raddicchio, cos and endive.

Side salad of radicchio, cos, endive with palm sugar vinaigrette

Cappuccino with toffee rice puffs

Dessert menu

Such an idealic meal would not have been complete without dessert. Reflective of fruits in season at the time (now they're all-things figs, yum!), the desserts menu included a beautiful selection of stone fruits, berries and mango. I had a playful mix of summer fruits which was glazed with warm custard and served with tangy red currants.

Summer fruits glazed with a warm custard

Zen & I

Lit up with The Yarra River's fire displays on Southbank Promenade

Oh, and there were caramelised puffed rice grains to finish with too which tasted like a naughtier twist of cereal and popcorn.

Rockpool Bar and Grill, Melbourne
Web: www.rockpool.com.au/melbourne/rockpool-bar-and-grill.html
Call: (03) 8648 1900
Visit: Crown Complex, Southbank, Victoria

During my trip down to Melbourne late last year, I came across a few remarkable things. The Queen Victoria markets was a dream grocery shopping destination. Luckily I was staying at a serviced apartment which meant I had access to a kitchen! Hoorah to all the specialists providing fresh meat, deli, bread, seafood, fruits and vegies. Without a trek to Antarctica, I also met some majestic king emperor penguins at the aquarium, and was one of the first to adventure onto the Southern Cross observation wheel -who needs the London Eye now?

Travel with me through these snapshots:

View from plane window after take off from Sydney

Fresh herbs from Queen Victoria Markets

Organic mangosteens for sale at Queen Victoria Markets

Queen Victoria Markets delicatessens, marinated baby octopus and more

Pumpkins and other vegetables at Queen Victoria Markets

Organic potatoes and lots of it

Crown Casino chips, we won from playing blackjack

Yarra River at night

Shopping at Bridge Road

Sun-rays at St Kilda Beach

Emperor king penguin at the aquarium

Antarctica penguin display at the aquarium

Me on the snow mobile

King spider crab, looks a bit like the Hokkaido Crab

Jellyfish at the aquarium

Illuminated hot pink jellyfish at the aquarium

Remember this from Finding Nemo? It's the tasselled anglerfish

Nemo himself, clown fish at the aquarium

Box fish at the aquarium

Turtle at the aquarium

Wide angle of aquarium display

Aquarium glass tunnel

Brand-spanking-new Southern Star observation wheel

Inside the Southern Star observation wheel

Me beneath the wheel at HarbourTown outlet

I promise these aren't my feet, view of plane seats and aisle

Shopping in Melbourne is sensational... and every time my energy depleted, a San Churro Chocolateria franchise seemed to come to my saviour. They were seriously everywhere! Brunswick Street Fitzroy, Lygon Street, Harbour Town & more.

Chocolate tapas, truffles and more, on display

A double serve of churros included 6 hot Spanish donut sticks and a choice between white, milk and dark liquid chocolate or dulce de leche (Argentine caramel). The churros were irresistible. Hot and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We dunked our way through the plate in no time.

Churros for two

On a separate day, we had tea, a cappuccino and fondue set. The fondue set was an astonishing $18.90 but all was forgiven once I dived in.

English breakfast tea

cappuccino

Fondue set for two

Strawberry dipped in liquid dark chocolate

Inside

For decadent desserts, chocolate-themed everything and sticky fingers, San Churro is the place to be. There aren't as many franchises in Sydney, namely Glebe, Miranda and Chatswood but I'm dying to try the banoffee bolero of fresh banana, Argentinean caramel, milk chocolate ice cream, whipped cream and masses of chocolate shavings.

San Churro Chocolateria
Web: www.sanchurro.com/contact.php

You know you're in Melbourne once you've eaten breakfast or brunch out, more than dinner.

Madame Sousou is a Parisian cafe/restaurant on busy Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. They have an amazing breakfast menu which stretches from housemade toasted fruit and nut museli to baked eggs with basque style tomato sauce, chorizo and fresh mints. I adored the alfresco street seating and gorgeous French decor indoors.

Street seating

Interior Parisian decor

Cappuccino

My English breakfast tea was served on a pretty vintage tea tray. And good tea, it was.

English breakfast tea

Zen's big breakfast was a gourmet adventure. We appreciated the artfully cooked double smoked bacon which had crispy edges but was not overdone and the scrumptious array of organic sausages, housemade hashbrown, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and ciabatta toast. I was green with envy until my zucchini and sweet corn fritters arrived. Topped with Tasmanian smoked salmon, avocado salsa and chive creme fraiche and served with a side of rocket, the flavours were so well refined and simply delicious.

The Sousou big breakfast

Zucchini and sweet corn fritters

I'm eating

On the street

Madame Sousou
231 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Victoria
Phone: +61 3 9417 0400

After being away from home-cooking for over a week, I found myself hunting down a Chinese restaurant. Claypot King sits on Swanston Street and immediately grabbed my attention because... well, how often would you find a Chinese restaurant with alfresco dining?

Alfresco dining

With appetites which had been expanding over the duration of the flight down from Sydney, we decided to start with plenty of entrees. The xiao long bao (steamed mini pork bun) was enormous and meaty. No sight of soup at all though! The har gow (prawn dumpling) were pretty average as well and I was fooled into thinking the pandan dumpling was a savoury entree! The pandan essence and sweet mung bean filling were delectable, nonetheless.

Then out came the peking duck; crisp skin on a thin slice of meat, cucumber, hoisin sauce and a shallot stick were wrapped inside steaming hot pastry sheets.

Xiao long bao a.k.a. steamed mini pork buns a.k.a. soup dumplings

Hargow a.k.a prawn dumpling

Pandan leaf dumpling

Peking duck

Its pretty hard to find traditional herbal soups in Summer so we were thrilled to find a whole menu full of authentic variations.

Herbal soup of dried scallop with watercress and duck kidney

I decided to play it safe and had the chicken and mushroom claypot rice which seemed to be their hero product. If you've never had claypot rice, it's a bit like getting a warm Korean bimbimbab or eating overcooked rice (but this is somehow more pleasant). The soy and ginger based marinate was so hearty and comforting.

Chicken and mushroom claypot rice

Combination seafood claypot rice

We finished off with a ice kacang. There was plenty of peanuts, corn kernels, grass jelly, rose syrup, red beans, condensed milk, lime jelly and a mountain of shaved ice.

Ice kacang

Inside the ice kacang

The small damage :)

Then off we went to discover the back streets of Melbourne.

View of street from our table

Claypot King
209 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC
Phone: (03) 9662 3222
Trading Days: 7 days, 10 am - 11 pm

I've heard many theories as to what shoes hanging on power lines mean. Some believe it means drugs are sold nearby, others have mentioned it defined the boundary of a gang's turf... or maybe it was a harmless schoolkid prank. Whatever it is, this alleyway felt so creepy I had to photograph it.

Balcombe Pl, Melbourne

By the way, my commenting tool is still down! The helpful guys at Disqus are working on the bug. Come back soon and drop me a note!

Fifteen Melbourne. It's the restaurant from TV. It's Jamie Oliver's. There's definitely a novelty factor to dining at Fifteen -which explains the set-up of a reservation line and the long waiting list! Two months ago, when Zen and I were planning our next trip down to Melbourne, I persuaded him to make a booking for dinner. And so here we are. It wasn't dinner... but we felt pretty lucky to have scored a table for six for lunch (considering that the weekend coincided with the F1 Grand Prix and the FINA World Championship). Melbourne was busy.

The interior of the restaurant was funky. Glass pots of herbs hung from the ceiling... there were graffiti feature walls, giant mirrors with elegant detailed frames, and the garden-inspired bathrooms even provided Aesop hand wash and cream. I was impressed.

The olive oil was gorgeous... I have such a weakness for good olive oil and sea salt... yummo!

The rump was served on a timber chopping board... classic Jamie Oliver style. This was probably the best main anyone on our table had ordered. Obviously, I had to do a bit of taste testing! It was divine :-)

My main dish was the quail. And unfortunately, was slightly disappointing. The red grape was an interesting incorporation but overall, nothing spectacular.

The mint ice-cream was refreshing and totally complemented the peach which was bathed in wine. The frosted almonds led me to reminisce of the kind you would normally get from the corner milk bar; except this was twice as good.

In the end, the food was pretty good but our table paid $50 for 5 bottles of sparkling water. Yes... pricey indeed.

And in case you weren't sure what Fifteen was all about? Here's something I took away with me:

Fifteen facts about Fifteen

1. Jamie Oliver set up 'Fifteen' in London after a mate told him about how cooking had a positive impact on a group of young people from tough backgrounds she was working with.


2. It's called 'Fifteen' because the first group in London were 15 young people.


3. Even through it's called 'Fifteen' we now take 20 trainees into the restaurant.


4. Even though Jamie set it up, he doesn't fund it -we have to raise the money here in Australia to make it happen.


5. 'Fifteen' is made up of two organisations that work together to support the young people, offer them training opportunities and work with our generous sponsors and donors.


6. The fifteen Foundation -the charitable, youth support bit.


7. Fifteen Melbourne -the restaurant is a proper business, with a twist.


8. Fifteen Melbourne gives 30% of its profit back to the Foundation in Australia and up to 3% of its total turnover to the UK foundation.


9. However, that's not enough to cover all costs of getting these young people through the 16-month program, so we look for sponsorship, donations and grants to cover the rest.


10. This is the first 'Fifteen' in the ever growing family to be set up outside Europe.


11. There are 'Fifteens' in London, Cornwall and Amsterdam.


12. A new group of young people are recruited each year.


13. 'Fifteen trainees in Australia have the chance to complete the first year of their apprenticeship in the Fifteen Melbourne kitchen.


14. 'Fifteen' makes sure that if they graduate they get placements to complete their apprenticeships in other top restaurants around Melbourne. But it doesn't end there...


15. 'Fifteen' trainees remain a part of the 'Fifteen' family even after they leave -they're always welcome back and we'll always be there to support them if they need us.

This is about more than just cooking. 'Fifteen' is about giving troubled young people the chance to get out of the rut they're in and break the cycles that are holding them back, and to show the world how amazing they can be!

OK, I'm drawn in. Dining here again will be my charitable thing for the year.

Fifteen Melbourne Restaurant

Reservations:
Australian Callers: 1300 799 415
International Callers: 0061 3 8648 6000

Enquiries:
enquiry@fifteenmelbourne.com.au

Location:
Basement, 115 - 117 Collins Street
(Enter through Georges Parade)
Melbourne, Victoria

Web:
http://www.fifteenmelbourne.com.au/index.html

Last post on Melbourne. Here are some night shots I took with my new wide angle lens (10-22mm)...

Thanks for such a fab trip Zen! Love ya babe.

Seeing that Zen and I were only in Melbourne for 3 nights (theoretically 2 nights, since we were on the Great Ocean Road for one the nights), Scusa Mi was meant to be my gastronomical highlight of the trip. But I don't learn, do I? Yet again... I failed to make a booking! Thus instead of an elegant 5 course meal, we ate our mains... and left (hehe).

Scusa Mi was awarded one-hat in 2007's Good Food Guide. They also boast their own label of extra-virgin olive oil, breath-taking views of the Yarra River, and a menu which names all the finest ingredients.

Superb salad. The pears were sweet and a fresh balance to the crispy witlof, celery and fennel. The cheese was a little overpowering, but gave the salad the perfect oomph. However, the service was questionable. I think the waitor was high... he managed to spill our neighbouring table's champaigne all over the curtains, and looked rather scattered when suggesting menu items. It was the night before NYE afterall... who is there to blame.

Happy new year everyone! Cheers to a delicious 2007!!

Scusa Mi Ristorante
Mid-level, Southgate
Southbank, Victoria 3006
Phone: (03) 96994111
Website: www.scusami.com.au

The first time I heard about stone-grilling, I was rather turned off... I had pictured a succulent piece of steak on an ordinary slab of rock. How primitive and unhygienic! Stone-grilling is actually an ancient method of cooking, adopted from the Egyptians and Vikings. The stone is heated at 400 degrees celsius, and allows you to quickly seal in all flavours. It provides a standard cooking time of up to 1 hour...

Being such a simple and healthy method of cooking, Ishiya provides pages of variations.

My verdict? I loved stone-grilling! Its great being able to eat and cook at my own pace... You can have it as rare or as well-done as you like! My favourties of the sauces would probably have been the ponzu which is made of soy sauce, lemon juice and rice wine vinegar... and the creamy sesame and tofu sauce. MmM! The staff at Ishiya were also very friendly and informative :-)

Ishiya Japanese Stone Grill
152 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Phone: (03) 9650 9510

What else could have brought me to Brunswick Street but the Alannah Hill factory outlet! Brunswick Street is probably the King Street (of Newtown) or the Oxford Street in Sydney. So we snagged a seat in the open terrace and watched the Brunswick Street crowds walk on by.

I was actually sick... so you'll have to excuse the absence of my taste buds! I do remember the occasional taste of sweetness from the creamy honey mustard though...

The Fitz Cafe
347 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Victoria 2065
Phone: (03) 94175794

And here we are at the Great Ocean Road! Zen decided that we should opt for the hassle-free solution and booked the one-day tour via Go West. Hooray to no pricey car hiring, no tiring drive and plenty of rejuvenating sleep during the boring and repetitive sections of the road.

The Great Ocean Road is divided by three sections. There's the long and windy roads which wrap around the coast, the lush rainforest, and then the massive pastoral scenes.

First stop was the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre...

Next was Bell's Beach -surfing capital of Victoria...

This is probably one of the most photographed arches. We joined in with all the other tourists :-P

We then hopped on a helicopter with Great Ocean Road Helicopters (how original is the name!) to see the majestic 12 Apostles, Loch and Gorge, London Bridge, The Towering Limestone Cliffs & more!

And last but not least, London Arch. Formerly known as London Bridge... until 1990, when it collapsed and left two tourists stranded. One of them apparentally got busted for cheating on his wife (he was stranded with his other partner), and for taking a sickie @ work. LOL!!

Later in the night, at around 8.30pm, we stopped by a town named Colac for a quick dinner. Half of us rushed into Noodle Canteen which like it's name hints... is a noodle bar. Take note: the flyer stated that 'all dishes are low in fat'... but when Zen finished his meal, there must have been at least 5 tablespoons of oil left clogging around... ekk!

Go West Tours
Website: http://www.gowest.com.au
Phone: 1300 736 551 or +61 3 8508 9008 (from outside Australia)

Colac Noodle Bar
243 Murray Street Colac VIC 3250
Phone: (03) 5231 2807
Operating hours: 7 days, 11am - 9pm

For the last four days, Zen and I have been hiding out in Melbourne -another of our spontaneous holidays. I love the internet age... we were able to plan and book everything from airfare, accomodation to restaurants, all just a day before flying!

Royce Hotel provides stunning five-star accomodation in a super convenient location. It was just a short tram ride into the CBD, which meant Zen and I were able to familiarise ourselves with the tram ticketing system and routes. Our room also had a balcony with panoramic views to St Kilda Road, and the grounds of Melbourne Grammar School.

This holiday couldn't have come at a better time. As you can see, I was able to experiment with my new wide angle lens -the Canon UltraSonic EFS 10-22 F/3.5-4.5 USM.

Time for a big breakfast! Here we are at the Dish restaurant, which as the website says, is not your ordinary hotel restaurant. It offers a sophisticated ambience and award winning cuisine. And we are in luck! It's a buffet breaky...

Watch out for the next post on The Great Ocean Road!

Royce Hotel
379 St Kilda Road Melbourne Victoria 3004
Phone: 1800 820 090 or +61 3 9677 9900
Website: www. roycehotels.com.au