Ladro Greville

For the birthday girl's pizza weekend adventure, landed us at Ladro on a Friday night.  After our  initial struggles with parking and being mislead by the iPhone maps, we finally made it. 

Now, I have to admit, we had to have a lot of help with ordering. Help from Google that is. Amongst our conversation, every second question was "Hey .. what's *insert italian word* ?" With Google on our side, and the clock ticking away, we finally decided to choose a main each to share.

Gnocchi al Forno

Out first, came the Gnocchi al Forno. The gnocchi was submerged in a rich San Marzano tomato sugo sauce, cheesy bufala, parmigiano and topped with basil. The sweetness of the tomatoes came through and as always, went beautifully with the cheeses and basil. However, I did find the gnocchi to be a little overcooked, resulting in overly soft gnocchi.

Risi e bisi

Described to be a Venetian classic, came our next dish of risi e bisi, most commonly known as rissotto. I loved how the pea's vibrant green colours came out and gave the dish a happy feel. Cooked and fully packed with flavour, this dish of rice, peas, pancetta, shallots was a creamy dream.

'I do not like green eggs and ham

 I do not like them

 Jen-I-Am

Gamberi Piselli

tomato, lemon garlic prawns, peas, chilli, basil

Porcini

fior di latte, taleggio, porcini, basil, pangrattato

Scout's Pizza

tomato, taleggio, caramelised onion, basil, dressed rocket, parmigiano

And finally onto what Ladro is famous for - the Pizza !

And no, they did not disappoint. The base was perfect, thin, pillowy and a little chewy. With fresh toppings and ingredients, and well balanced flavours, it ticked all the right boxes. They were all delicious yet light, which didn't make me feel guilty for having so many slices !

Our experience at Ladro was fantastic. Relaxed atmosphere, attentive staff, and tasty pizzas was all we needed, and was what we got. 

Ladro Greville

162 Greville Street 
Prahran

And being so close by, we ended the night at Yo-Chi. I told you I'd be back for you !

Yo-chi
292 Carlisle St 
Balaclava

Read More

Vegie Bar

Vegie Bar really needs no introduction. For a very long time, Vegie Bar has been a hot topic on Urbanspoon. And finally, here I am ! 

Braving the cold night, we made our way there. Stepping inside, the space was open, coat racks on the right side of the wall and an isolated counter/bar in the middle. The environment was buzzing and filled with happy chitter chatter. It was warm and toasty, and had a great feeling about it. As we waited in line to be served, I couldn't help but let my eyes wander off to what people were eating and the specials board. We added out names to the waiting list, and were told the wait would be approximately 25-30 minutes. The wait sounded a little deterring, but we were keen. Keen beans ! And so we were told we could wait at the bar while waiting for a table on this busy night.

After only 15 minutes, our names were called. Taken to a smaller sized table at first, we kindly requested a larger table as we planned to share and wanted a little bit more room. Moving quickly, the waiter happily led us to a much roomier table located upstairs. 

Food wise, there were a range of dishes inspired from all over the globe. Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, Malaysian... You name it ! With so many yummy options and cuisines on offer, we were spoilt for choice.

Stuffed mushrooms

For starters, we went for the stuffed mushrooms. Oozing out of these piping hot mushrooms were tofu and herbed ricotta, which we generally lapped up with their special chutney.

Duo

Onto our mains, we ordered The Duo - roti bread, steamed brown rice with a duo of chickpea dahl, lentil curry, plus a side of minted yogurt. This was a great dish to share. Using our hands, we tore up the roti and lathered it in as much curry as we could. Both curries were very tasty, however I found it a could have done with a little more spice.

Mexican Burrito

Having heard that Vegie Bar does burritos extremely well, we had to have it. On a bed of crunchy corn chips laid the burrito- stuffed with refried kidney beans, spinach, onion, capsicum and mushroom. Top this off with topped with chilli, melted cheese and spring onions. Add brown rice, salad, sour cream and guacamole and we have a ridiculously large meal. Thank God we were sharing. 

Lentil Burger

A Lentil patty, lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, tomato and carrot layered within the seitan buns. With no sauce, it was a little on the dry side, and lacked flavour. Looking back at the menu, it isn't only until now that I realise that it was probably because we mention which sauce we wanted. However, nor did our waitress ask. I guess she assumed it was the safer option to just serve our burger sauceless...

Overall, sharing punny jokes and reminiscing weird childhood stories with great company made a fantastic night. Service was either a hit or miss depending on the each individual staff, but no major problems. Serving contemporary vegetarian cooking, I would recommend Vegie Bar as a great option for the health conscious and the hungry. 

Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy, VIC

Read More

Yo-Chi

Having spent the night lazing around, and craving froyo, my friend and I headed down to Yo-Chi.

We could spot Yo-hi from a distance. The bright lights shone onto the dull street, illuminating the deliciousness that was awaiting us inside. Compared to all the other froyo joints I've been to, Yo-Chi was much larger than I had expected. I loved the design and layout, it was just such a chill place.

Yo-chi is a self serve, choose your own flavours and toppings, and pay by weight frozen yogurt kinda place. For 100 grams for $2.80 and with 8 frozen yogurt flavours, and over 30 toppings and sauces to choose from, things can get a little wild. 

Our eyes bigger than our stomachs, we wanted everything. Luckily, the staff were happy to give us taste testers. Flavours ranged from Hazulnut, Green Apple to Honey Soybean. The Hazulnut was nice, however, I found it lacked that creaminess that I love in hazelnut ice cream. In the end, we went with the Original and Coconut flavours.

And finally, the end result ! 

For toppings, we went for fresh strawberries, mango popping pearls, stewed apples, crumble and boysenberry sauce. The original frozen yogurt was perfect- a little tart, a little sweet. Matching well, the coconut were spoonfuls of tropical paradise. Altogether with mango explosions and the likes of apple crumble, this was heaven. Weighing in at 303 grams, this champion came to $8.50.

So so good. The coconut froyo + crumble + stewed apples will definitely be my choice the next time I visit. 

All natural, and 98% fat-free, what's not to love ? Having Yo-Chi with Yo-Best Friend was the perfect way to finish off the night.

Yo-chi
292 Carlisle St 
Balaclava, VIC 3183

Read More

B'stilla

B'Stilla, pronounced bas-tee-ya is that cool new restaurant to South Yarra. 

Now, B'Stilla being the one to pop my Moroccan cherry, I did need some guidance. It was perfect that we had a lovely waitress who explained the dishes throughout the night. As we were ordering, she came over to explain to us that Moroccan food was a harmony of sweetness, savoury and spices. Having picked a few dishes already, we asked for her recommendations to fill out a few empty spots. Dishes at B'Stilla are made to share, which only meant more to taste !

Not much longer, complimentary hot Moroccan mint tea, fresh figs and harissa were brought over for us to nibble on.  Harrisa as explained by the glossary at the back of the menu is a popular condiment in Morocco, flavoured with spices and chillies. It’s Morocco’s version of ketchup. The spicy sauce was so good, I wanted to smother everything in it.

B’stilla 

 Pigeon, duck, almond, cinnamon, saffron & egg

It would have been a crime not order their signature dish the restaurant was named after. Encased in a delicately thin pastry was an interesting combination of sweet, salty and nuttiness. The tenderness of the birds along with the buttery crunch was beautiful. 

 Spinach, eggplant, almond & fresh cheese rgahaif 

This was hands down, everyone's favourite dish of the night. A cool Moroccan street food snack, this crepe life pastry held together the wonderful flavours of spinach, eggplant, almond and fresh cheese. I could've just eaten the pastry itself- warm, soft and rich in butter.

Fig, goat’s cheese, chickpea & root vegetables tagine

As the waitress came over with our dish in the special Moroccan tagine, I knew I was in for a treat. This comfort dish was filled to the brim generously. Like a treasure chest, the deeper I dug, the more treasures I found.  
The addition figs in this earthenware dish was a light, sweet touch to the earthy, warm spices of the tagine. Alongside this, was the goat cheese which I felt really brought the whole dish together.

Beef short rib with carrot jam & preserved lemon 

For only $25, I was very impressed by this dish.  Cooked to perfection, the bones slid out with ease and had the perfect fat to meat ratio.  This was by far the most succulent beef short rib I have had,  the tender meat literally dissolved in my mouth. So good. So juicy. I could also taste the patience. This flavour packed meat would have been slowly simmered to absorb the richness of the braising liquid. Accompanied by a carrot jam and preserved lemon, this was the other favourite of the night.

Cous cous with apricot, smoked chili, coriander & preserved citrus

For the smaller portion, the cous cous dish was enormous. Together with the tagine, this cous cous was a great combination. However, by itself, I found it a little too citrus-y.

Cucumber, saffron, dill, piquillo, nigella & yoghurt

This pickled cucumber salad played a nice role in adding the 4th 's' to the table. Sweet, savoury, spicy and sourness. Very refreshing.

At such a modern, relaxed chic space, impeccable food and at such affordable prices, B'Stilla is definitely worth a visit, it was absolutely moROCKIN'.


B'Stilla
30b Bray St 
South Yarra, VIC 3141

Read More

Let's Bab

Let's Bab ! 

Translated directly, meaning 'Let's Rice' ! Cute.

In need of a quick & hot lunch, my brothers and I popped into Let's Bab.
Fast, delicious, generously sized meals at very affordable prices ! This is what I call value for money.

Soon doo boo jjigae

Hot boiling soon doo boo jiggae ! Was still boiling away as it arrived to our table, and I actually had to wait a few seconds so I could snap a photo. You can see here that in that time, my brother attacked the fried tofu. I do have to say, that tofu was hella delicious. Golden cubes of deep-fried tofu drizzled with BBQ sauce and kewpie mayo. 

Seafood Ramen

Instant ramen in a spicy seafood broth. Seafood included shrimps, baby mussels and pipis. Was pretty much a standard korean ramen dish.

Spicy pork BBQ 

A very generous serving indeed- all for $10 ! Loved that the pork was on the leaner side. Was very flavoursome, and luckily for my brother, was not too spicy.

Takoyaki 

Octopus and cabbage balls

Takoyaki being my litlle brother's most favourite dish ever, we had to order these. Despite having so much food, was very tempted to order another serving. Aside from these amazeballs being a little on the smaller side, they were everything we could have asked for. A smooth and creamy takoyaki encasing a juicy piece of octopus.

 Korokke

Croquettes. I have the worse tendency to pronounce this as 'croquet', like the wooden ball and mallet game in Alice in Wonderland. I mean I know the difference and I know its pronounced croquette, but it gets me every tume. Super embarrassing. These beautifully breadcrumbed babies held the creamiest potato mash inside and were complimented with two sauces. 

Out of all the Korean cafes along Warrigul Road, Let's Bab has always been and will always remain a favourite whenever I just want an easy meal.

Let's Bab
623 Warrigal Road 
Chadstone, VIC

Read More