Hakata Gensuke

Baby, it’s cold outside. It’s wet, it’s dark and it’s pouring with rain. Ramen is suddenly the only thing that makes sense. Hakata Gensuke ramen that is.

God Fire

I must say, Ramen has to be one of my ultimate comfort foods. And the ramen at Hakata Gensuke is no exception. If anything, it's the rule. My Level 4 God Fire was wickedly spicy, a steaming bowl of Gensuke's silky tonkotsu broth with a secret blend of 'Spicy Fire' swimming with bouncy noodles and your basic trimmings. I also went for an added egg because really, who can say no to a gooey centered egg ? Seriously, I can not think of anything better to warm the soul on a chilly, grizzly day.

Signature Tonkotsu

On the other end of the table was the Signature Tonkotsu - rich, cloudy and collagen-full pork bone broth served with thin noodles and an upgrade on the trimmings. For an extra $8, you get three more slices of fatty cha shu, seaweed and flavoured egg. All politely slurped up in no time.

Hakata Gyoza

Chicken Karaage

We also grabbed ourselves some bite-sized Hakata Gyozas and Chicken Karaage. Juicy Hakata style fried chicken tossed in secret spices - so so luscious on the inside yet amazingly crispy on the outside. Oh man, biggest craving for this JFC right now. 

Guys, hang up your dripping umbrella and wet jacket, shrug off those winter woes and fill up Hakata Gensuke. Best ramen in Melbourne I tell you.

Hakata Gensuke

860 Glenferrie Road 

Hawthorn, VIC 3122

http://www.gensuke.com.au/ 

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Bagelicious

What's more to love than a soft, chewy bagel complemented with a wide selection of tantalising flavours ? Yeah, it's pretty hard to beat. So when Yonathan from Bagelicious invited a bagel buddy and myself to check out his second addition to the Bagelicious family, I was all smiles. 

Chicken Schnitzel

Our first choice was the Chicken Schnitzel on a poppy studded bagel, a unanimous decision. The schnitzel was thick yet tender, crusted in a lovely golden coating and smeared in a generous dollop of mustard and mayo. The crunchy salad of cucumber, lettuce and tomato was refreshing and made the bagel whole (minus the hole). 

Smoked Chicken

The Smoked Chicken from the Pressed Toast Bagel menu came highly recommended by Yonathan, and boy it did not disappoint. Served on an Everything Bagel, the bagel came out in a rainbow of pesto, smoked chicken, roast capsicum, red onion and cheddar. The sharp cheese melted straight into the juicy chicken whilst the vegetables added a fresh touch to each bite. 

Cinnamon & Raisin 

We ended with the Cinnamon & Raisin Bagel hot out of the oven, oozing with the heavenly pairing of peanut butter and jelly. Mm mm mmm.

My oh my did I enjoy Bagelicious. These are what I call #baegoals

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Bagelicious

Bagelicious

646 Glenferrie Road  

Hawthorn, VIC 3122

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Humburger

A licensed exotic burger eating house - Eat. Drink. Hum.

Frenchy - Beef, Potato Rosti, Herb Hollandaise, Chunky Garden Mayo and Cornichons

New York - 2 x Beef, Bacon, Cheddar, Caramelised Onion, Pickles, Mayo and Tomato Sauce

Fries with Hum Seasoning

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Humburger

Humburger
789 Glenferrie Road
Hawthorn, VIC 3122

http://humburger.com.au 

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Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato

Are you a lover of gelato ? Have a penchant for boundary-pushing flavours ?  Well then, allow me to introduce to you Dex2rose, the newest nitrogen gelato kid on the block. Pronounced dex-trose, Dex2rose is a word play on dextrose - the dextrorotatory form of glucose, a monosaccharide, d-glucose monohydrate. Simply put, a vital ingredient for that oh-so-lusciously-creamy gelato.  

With head chef Jesse who trained with Gelato Messina’s Nick Palumbo constantly experimenting with new flavours, Dex2rose promises flavours that are fun, quirky and most importantly innovative and experimental. 

Cold Brewed Coffee

We started with a selection of drinks, with JJ having Dex2rose's Cold Brewed Coffee over ice. Brewed between 16 to 20 hours and containing up to 67% less acidity than hot brewed coffee, JJ's cold brew was naturally sweeter and super refreshing. 

Nitrogen Brew

Meanwhile, I had their Nitrogen Brew straight out of a beer tap, complete with a creamy head of foam. Charged with nitrogen, and infused with maple, rum and vanilla bean, the coffee was full bodied and went down a treat. 

Lazy Dinner

Onto the gelato shall we ? We began with the Lazy Dinner - a harmony of sage, burnt butter and caramel gelato drizzled with a sticky caramel sauce - entree, main and dessert all rolled into one. This was my absolute favourite with it's clever fusion of flavours.

Honey Stash

Next in line was the Honey Stash - a pistachio and honey gelato with hidden honeyed nut clusters adding in a lovely crunch. The addition of fresh raspberry cream was light and tangy, though didn't seem to work as a whole with the nutty gelato. 

Pink Flamingo

To finish off, we enjoyed the Pink Flamingo - a peach and rose moscato sorbet topped with rosewater coconut cream. Light, fresh and cheerful, just a spoonful of this instantly transported us to a tropical island. Nothing says summer like fresh coconuts or a glass or two of moscato by the water. 

With flavours changing every couple of weeks, Dex2rose has me constantly wanting to go back for more. I mean serisously, how can you say no to 'The Original Mr Grey' in all his hazelnut earl grey splendour or a sexy Black Plum and French Brandy gelato ?

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato

Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato

377 Little Bourke Street  
Melbourne, VIC 3000
http://www.dex2rose.com.au 

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BlendCo

Concealed in a secluded carpark, you can find BlendCo blending away in the backstreets of Richmond. Blenders by definition and alchemists by trade, the guys behind BlendCo churn out epic blends of smoothies, juices and superfoods. 

The Acai Cup Blend

I grabbed myself an Acai bowl - a refreshing and healthy blend of acai berries, blueberries, dates, coconut water, banana, apple and a generous sprinkling of their superfood blend - a combination of 7 organic superfoods to support healthier skin they say. The perfect pick-me-up I say.

BlendCo, I could use more of you in my life.

BlendCo

3 Newton Street

Richmond, VIC

http://blendco.com.au

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Royal Croquet Club

The Royal Croquet Club has transformed the banks of the Yarra below Fed Square. Complete with a giant croquet pitch, DJs, bars with plenty of Pimms, tennis on the big screen and food curated by Broadsheet, there is everything to like about this place.

Food wise, we're talking Meatmother, MissChu, Mr Claws and DOC, serving up an innovative range of tantalising dishes, with St ALi and Gelato Messina sweetening the deal. 

Crispy Hanoi Vegetarian Net Spring Rolls

Light and crispy, Miss Chu's spring rolls were an excellent starter to the night.

Chunky Spicy Lobster Roll

Chunky Buttermilk Lobster Roll

Reunited with Mr Claws, we devoured not just one, but three of these succulent lobster rolls. Toasted soft brioche buns filled with sustainably fished lobster meat with a a choice of three dressings: miso wasabi, Sriracha-spiced mayonnaise or buttermilk ranch. 

Panino Porchetta

Polpette Della Nonna

From the Italians, we tried the Panino Porchetta - roast pork roll with wild fennel and tarragon and Polpette Della Nonna - think Grandma's meatballs with tomato sumo and a healthy having of parmigiano reggiano.

BBQ Lamb Cutlets

Burnt Ends

The guys at Meatmother won my heart with their smoky American BBQ flavours. True to the classic Aussie BBQ, we enjoyed lamb cutlets dressed with mint over a bed of caper and cornichon potato salad. 

The show stopper for me was definitely their buns though. Firing things up with their 10-hour oak smoked brisket, cubed and crisped burnt ends, and jalapeño slaw slathered in Meatmother's BBQ sauce, this was my favourite dish of the night.

American Chow Down

Black Forest Bisque

Gelato Messina never fails to please. Every aspect, they just seem to take above and beyond. This time around, we were graced with Messina's International Soup Kitchen - a soup kitchen concept serving up dessert in a Campbell Soup’s iconic tin cans. 

Choose from Black Forest Bisque – chocolate-fondant gelato, cherry jam, kirsch cream with kirsch-soaked sponge or the Vietnamese inspired Faux Pho – salted-coconut sorbet, kaffir-lime marshmallow, lychee coconut cream with chilli-cashew crunch.  Or perhaps the Zuppa Duppa – hazelnut gelato, wild-strawberry preserve with an addictive pistachio crunch and Amaretti biscotti or the American Chow Down – peanut gelato, Oreo custard, cream-cheese mousse and pretzel crunch.  You can't really go wrong either way.

Still sorting out plans for Australia Day ? No worries, the Royal Croquet Club has got you covered with their Truck-A-Palooza festival. For Australia Day only, the food trucks joining the Royal Croquet Club line-up are Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck, Cornucopia, Hammer & Tong, The Little Mushroom Co, Nuoc Mama, Toasta, Trailer Made, Round The Way Bagels and The Brulee Cart. Get excited.

Go on. Head on over for a hit of the croquet mallet, a spot of barbeque and a few drinks. It's the place to be seen this summer.

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of ID Collective and Royal Croquet Club

What: Royal Croquet Club

Where: Birrarung Marr (near Federation Square), Melbourne 

Cost: Free entry event from Sunday through to Thursday. Friday and Saturdays are $5 after 7pm.

When: Friday 16th January to Sunday 1st February

http://www.royalcroquetclub.com.au/

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