All posts filed under: Places we ate at before we turned Vegan

Rose Diner and Bar @ Port Melbourne

Was driving by Port Melbourne today to get to Bay Street and chanced upon this cafe behind the diner while asking for some directions, Rose Diners and Bars. 309 Bay Street Port Melbourne 3207. Was in a rush, hence i ordered a soy mocha to go, disclaimer from the barista that made it, the chocolate syrup was runny and she didn’t know if it was too sweet, at first taste, it was fine, smooth, warm with a slight mild bitter taste, aroma wasn’t that strong(but then again, it could have been hidden from the takeaway cup lid). As i was driving back while drinking it, it got sweeter and sweeter, overpowering the initial mild bitter taste of the coffee. On the whole it wasnt a bad mocha, it didnt leave any after coffee taste or breathe, but it could also be due to the overpowering chocolate syrup that was added. Definitely an undisturbed place to hang out with a few friends to fully enjoy each other’s company without the city buzz. Address: 09 Bay Street …

Industry Beans (Melbourne)

Hi Guys, This is my very first post from Melbourne and I am really excited to share with you this cafe that was recommended by some of my local mates studying here. Industry Beans, located at Fitzroy. Having visited that place, my first impression of the cafe was a very modern outlook with an outdoor grassy lounge area which made it look a bit unusual amongst the studio apartments around this area. The seating area behind those glass doors were very humble in their arrangement and decorated with tiles/wooden panels and their stock piles of beans that they have roasted themselves, open for all customers to see (P.S. i will get more images of the interior the next time round i visit that place). My mates specifically told me to get the waiters to do a recommendation of the coffee you would normally drink and they would advice you on the type of beans that they have and which beans might go along better with your regular drink.  Being a difficult customer with my dietary …

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 @ Casuarina Road

Super post dated entry – Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆 tze char at Casuarina Road is my bro-in-law’s ultimate favourite place for crabs. I find the freshness of the crabs similar to Momma Kong’s Crab Shack, but the crabs at Ban Leong are WAY bigger – check out the below pincer size! One time effort to de-shell with a lot of crab meat to enjoy with every part of the crab. I am not usually a fan of la-la but this la-la ($15) is zincy and fresh. The rest of my family loves it! Cereal Prawns ($20) are yummy – meant to be eaten whole, but I usually still de-shell it out of habit. Another one of my favourites – Chicken with Prawn Sauce ($10). Well cooked, not burnt and flavourful because of the prawn sauce. Deer Meat ($15) is also a usual suspect on our dinner table. Tender and well cooked with ginger, onion and spring onions. Both my FIL and I love vegetables, so we usually have 2 vegetable dishes. This time, we …

bistrokai @ Purvis Street

After a good breakfast at Cups N Canvas, we walked over to hunt for Kooka Cafe for coffee at Purvis Street only to realize it has closed! However, we chanced upon bistrokai, on Level 1 at Hotel kai, which was less than 1 month old. There was even a professional photoprapher taking shots of the beers, which I assume will be used for their website. bistrokai is housed in a shophouse, but its interior is deliberately modern, keeping only the original brick walls that reveals the age of the building. The tables and chairs are of gloss finishes. I must say this looks like a very good place for soccer matches, with 2 big TV screens to huddle around over drinks. The menu boasts of gourmet burgers, sandwiches, buffalo wings and cripsy pork belly and other delicious grub, but we already had our mains, so we settled for microbrewery beer (Brewerks Pilsner, $7.80 for half pint), pot of green tea ($4.50) and a cup of latte ($5.50) using arabica beans. There was also friendly service by a Sri …

Nabehide Japanese Hotpot Dining @ Alexandra Road

Nabehide Japanese Hotpot, above established eatery Gyukaku, was a surprise find through Palate, where members can get 50% off if 2 of us dine. So, on a Friday night, we were glad to find a new healthy hotpot restaurant that was quiet and spacious for us to have a good chat. Nabehide Japanese Hotpot is a colonial building almost a century cold, right outside Anchorpoint (opposite Queensway and IKEA).  Because the building is so old, no fire is allowed, so the owner and management took effort to import all the heating equipment (cast iron pots using charcoal to heat) from Japan that allows for quick and clean heating without fire. This means the quality meats can heat slowly and be kept warm, rather than being overheated quickly. However, the heat spreads out quickly and evenly, which makes the heating rim on the table warm but not hot, so you don’t have to afraid of burning yourself on the sides while cooking. Nabehide is born out of a need to serve the folks who are looking for …

Sukhothai Kitchen @ Bugis

We have passed by Sukhothai Kitchen @ Bugis in an unassuming coffee shop at the back of Bugis Street a few times and it was usually crowded so we decided to give it to try. Compared to Nana Thai at Far Fast Plaza, I find Sukhothai much more authentic and value for money. The Fried Minced Pork with Basil Leaf ($8), dished to me by an authentic Thai lady, was spicy at the right levels, with strong basil kick with every bite. Loved it! The Tom Yum Soup Seafood ($5) is a big portion, spicy and sour to the right extent. Flavour wise, this tom yum is very close to the tom yums in Bangkok. We also had the Minced Prawn Omelette ($8), which we kind of gobbled up without shooting. Very affordable and tasty meal at the end of a work day. We will be back next time we have a Thai food craving! — Sukhothai Kitchen @ Bugis Address: 52 Queen Street, Singapore 188539 Opening Hours: Everyday, 11:30 am – 10:30 pm Phone: 8141 …

Nana Thai Restaurant @ Far East Plaza

After an awesome trekking trip to Nepal, we went to Far East Plaza to get my beauty fix and decided to try Nana Thai Restaurant, which is different from the one at Golden Mile. The Curry Fish Head ($28) is one of their signature dishes. It’s only one side of the fish head, but it has lots of ingredients like daopok and crispy dried bean curd skin. While the fish was very fresh, but the sauce was too coconuty for me. Still prefer the curry fish at Novena Peranakan Cuisine. Since the restaurant is Thai, also tried the Tom Yum Soup with Chicken ($10). Didn’t taste very authentic to me but spicy and sour enough. This store is more like local Singaporean tze char than Thai store. The Sambal Kangkong ($8) was very nice with mini prawn shrimps. My favorite dish! Claypot Beef Rice ($7.50) was good value and tasty, with soft and tender beef. Second favourite dish, though it tasted very Chinese and not Thai. A little pricey for tze char, but good spicy …

Saboten Signature @ Changi Airport Terminal 1

When we first saw “voted top 7 in the world in 2013” sign outside of Signature Saboten, I thought it was a marketing gimmick. But I’m really glad we tried Saboten as it turned out pretty exquisite! We had sets ranging from $20-30, including salmon and pork. All the sets come with free flow cabbage, rice and miso soup (which had real pork inside!!) My set was the Signature combo ($30) that came with a 150g Pork tonkatsu, small tenderloin, small croquette and small side salad. The tonkatsu, though fried deeply, was juicy and soft. Glad for this surprise find. Probably the best and most exquisite tonkatsu in Singapore. — Saboten Signature @ Changi Airport Terminal 1 Address: #03-21, View Mall Central, Terminal 1 Changi Airport Phone: 62149504 Hours: Daily, 07:00 – 23:00

Wheeler’s Yard @ Lorong Ampas

Wheeler’s Yard looks out of spacious Melbourne, but can be found in our backyard along Balestier Road. Wheeler’s Yard – The Bicycle Atelier, as its names suggest,  is a workshop space for urban bikes, with even handmade frames from talented mastercraftsmen. They also have a small but extremely cute selection of kid’s bikes. Wheeler’s Yard – Exterior Shots: Wheeler’s Yard – Interior Shots: The Flat White ($5) was decent, more on the milky side. And their cups are so prettily branded! They also serve some beers, and N had his usual Asahi ($8). The cafe is still new (<1 month old when we visited), so they are running on a manual ordering system e.g. they will call out your number and you run into their counter to collect the food. The menu is also fairly straightforward. Between 4 of us, we tried the most popular mains. Decent coffee and food – my personal favourite was the Steak sandwich, but such a pretty spacious place to hangout just next to the Park Connector. I would go back again just …

A for Arbite @ Aliwal Street

I tried A for Arbite at Serangoon Gardens when they were very new before. And to be honest, it was quite forgettable other than its ambience. However, A for Arbite @ Aliwal Street truly surprised me. I ended up loving the pastas! They allowed for simple beer tasting of the 3 craft beers – palm beer, trippel, brown and N went for a pint of palm beer ($9) in the end, which was light yet flavourful. We had the Beef Tataki ($13) that was a tad small, but fresh and exquisite tasting meat. N tried the Squid Ink Pasta ($26) with Seafood, and the pasta was handmade cooked al dente. I had the Tri Pepper Spaghettini with Crab Meat ($27) and I loved the mix of peppers!! L had the “B for breakfast” ($20) which comprised spicy sausage, nice scrambled eggs and  beans. I would most definitely be back for their pastas. YUM! Well-done! Plus there is a collection of great coffee places nearby like espressoLab and Symmetry to pick up a good cuppa after. Tip: there is a …