Jinda Thai

Jinda Thai, located just off Victoria Street has made itself home in a beautifully furnished heritage-listed building - high ceilings, exposed brick walls and eye catching light fittings. The restaurant has a great vibe and is very hip and happening. 

The menu here is quite substantial - there are appetisers to nibble on, soups, rice, noodles, stir-fries, curries, salads, and a whole page dedicated to soft shell crabs (win). The menu is never-ending.

Cha Yen & Ka-Fe Yen

With our tongues feeling like sandpaper, we ordered drinks to help beat the heat. Both the Cha Yen (iced Thai milk tea) and Ka-Fe Yen (iced coffee), enhanced with condensed milk were refreshing, aromatic and pleasantly sweet.

Upon request, we were also brought a tray of condiments and sauces to play with - just like in Thailand. 

Moo Ping Sticky Rice

The first dish of the night were 3 succulent skewers of marinated bite sized pieces of grilled pork.  The pork was tender, bouncy and had a great char on the outside. Dipped in nam jim, we gobbled these down with sticky rice. This dish was extremely well received by my brothers - setting the bar high as this was only the first dish.

Som Tum Soft Shell Crab

A harmony of sweet, sour and spice arrived next - with the freshness of green papaya, carrots, snake beans and cherry tomatoes, the kick from the chillies, the sweetness and crunch of candied nuts and cashews, and tang from the dressing. The soft shell crab was satisfyingly crisp, and the overall favour was bold and tasty.

Pad Thai 

We also ordered a serving of Pad Thai - chewy, translucent noodles which were accompanied with a wedge of lemon and a handful of fresh bean shoots.

Grilled Beef Salad

Medium rare grilled beef on a bed of salad leaves, bright red cherry tomatoes, red onion and herbs that added a bit of zest and acid - all dressed in a lemongrass and chilli dressing that left our tongues tingling. This was gingerly scraped up to the last spot of chilli.

Green Curry Chicken

Chicken, bamboo, Thai eggplant, and baby corn all smothered in a thick and flavourful sauce. It was rich in coconut milk with just a mild hint of lurking heat. 

Boat Noodles

Also known as Kuai Tiao Ruea, these noodles were originally served from the floating boats at the market, hence the name. We opted for the traditional beef broth with glass noodles. The soup was dark in colour, complex and rich in flavour, and highly aromatic. The slippery glass noodles had a good bite to them and swam among tender beef slices, beef balls and golden curls of pork crackling. 

My mum absolutely adored this dish and said that they were just as she remembered having them in Thailand. Again and again, as she was slurping these noodles down did she mention how authentic and delicious they were. 

Jinda Thai promises good food. It's a comfortable space, where you can sit back, relax and enjoy authentic food that sure packs a punch - they're certainly not shy with chillies. Though it might take you a while to flag down a waitress for menus or your order to be taken, your patience will be well rewarded. 

Jinda Thai

1-7 Ferguson Street

Abbotsford, VIC 3067

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SHIZUKU

Ramen Burgers. Yes, you heard me right, ramen burgers. Taken off to a humble start, SHIZUKU is nestled among the plethora of Vietnamese restaurants on Victoria Street. Serving up Izakaya-style plates, ramen and  donburi bowls, you can see how SHIZUKU would stick out like a sore thumb - for all the right reasons though. 

Surrounded by dark charcoal walls, hanging terrariums and intricate light fittings, the space has a lovely contemporary feel that welcomes you in the moment you step through the door. The menu is developed by Head Chef Ken Yoshida, who has been said to have worked in some of Japan's most renowned ramen shops. Bringing his expertise to SHIZUKU, the menu offers dishes with a twist, with a heavy focus on texture, taste and innovation. 

Oyster Sake Shots

Edamame

Takoyaki Senbei

Tuna Tartare

Wasabi Prawns

Grilled Cha Shu

Gyoza Cali and Gyoza Spicy

Karaage Popcorn Chicken

SHIZUKU Ninki No.1

Kanpai ! The night started off strong, with a round of Oyster Sake Shots for all. The zensais then started to come out progressively, allowing our tummies adequate time to digest, whilst readying our tastebuds in anticipation for the next dish. To sum up the zensais, my favourite zenzai for the night, was the Tuna Tartare. A dish I could eat on and on, with the lightness and crunch of deep fried gyoza skins, freshness of sashimi grade ground tuna in SHIZUKU dressing, and tang from the spring onion. Followed closely were the Wasabi Prawns - flash fried prawns served with a Japanese inspired wasabi mayo. Extremely addictive.

Ramen Burger

Hailing all the way from New York, the next culinary mash-up, has landed in Melbourne. In place of a bun, you will find tightly packed ramen noodles, which delicately held marinated pork belly with homemade plum sauce and Kewpie mayo. As expected, there were ooh's and ahh's, and camera's flashing away as the burger was unravelled. Though it was a little smaller in size than expected, and did  not look overly appealing, it still made a delicious mouthful and ticked the novelty box. It was definitely worth a try, but I think I'll stick to the traditional hot steaming bowls of ramen to curb my ramen cravings.

Tan Tan Men

Now, this is what I'm talking about ! Shame, I did not have much room to stomach my Tan Tan Men after the 10 dishes mentioned above. SHIZUKU has taken inspiration from the traditional Sichuan spicy noodles, Tan Tan Men (bouncy noodles) to bring us a big bowl of comforting ramen. The noodles swam around a thick and sesame rich broth, and featured pork mince, preserved vegetables, chilli oil and a gooey-centred boiled egg. It would be rude not to slurp this all up.

Annin Tofu

After all the savoury dishes, how did I fit in dessert ? Because it was bliss. Similar to the Chinese sweet tofu pudding 'Dau Fu Fa' , this chilled sweet almond tofu was light, refreshing and pretty much the perfect way to end the night.

I quite enjoyed SHIZUKU and believe with a little more time to grow into its own skin, they’ll be a raving success in no time. Rumours also say that ramen sushi and ramen desserts are to be expected soon. Now that's something to keep an eye on.

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of SHIZUKU.

SHIZUKU

309 Victoria Street 
Abbotsford, VIC

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Three Bags Full

I always look forward to the end of a semester. The sensation of being stress-free and not feeling guilting for eating out days and days on end excites me. So, on the second day post exams, A and I decided to head to Abbotsford and treat ourselves at Three Bags Full.

No surprises here, I already had my eye on the Overnight Braised Pulled Pork. Still, I decided to have a quick scan of the menu as I waited for A to decide on her order. Truffled eggs, mixed mushroom ragu, and Thai chicken and mango meatballs all sounded extremely inviting, but I could not say no to pulled pork.

Overnight Braised Pulled Pork

The overnight braised pulled pork was served on a brioche bun with celeriac remoulade, and house made barbecue sauce. Together, the juicy and melt-in-my-mouth pulled pork , crunchy sweet celeriac with the fresh soft brioche made thick and juicy bites, with pork juices dripping as I ate. Adding a slice of of pickled tomato or two added yet another flavour and texture, which made a great combination to the sweet celeriac and pulled pork.  Certainly impressive, but did not trump Two Birds One Stone's version.

Toasted Roast Pumpkin

Pillowy, yet crispy, the cypress bread was overflowed with roast pumpkin, caramelised onion, feta, cashew pesto, and rocket. The friend found the thick slices of sweet pumpkin together with the caramalised onion made the overall taste of the sandwich predominantly sweet and overpowered the cashew pesto and feta. Nevertheless, it was delicious, but we both agreed that the Overnight Braised Pulled Pork was the winner for the day.

Three Bags Full was everything I expected it to be.  Coffee and food here made an enjoyable brunch and though extremely busy, I could still feel the warmth emanating from this esablishment. Here, coffee, food and ambience filled three bags full.

Three Bags Full

60 Nicholson Street

Abbotsford

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