Blue Chillies

If you find yourself looking for one area of Melbourne to best show off our city's eccentricity  characters and taste for the alternative, Brunswick Street is your one stop shop. Known for it's cultured dining district, bars and live music venues, you'll also find Blue Chillies quaintly snuggled in. 

Best known for their signature takes on classic Malaysian flavours with a Melbourne flair, Blue Chillies have served locals and visitors alike for the past 15 years. And on Sunday, we celebrated their 16th birthday - Happy sweet 16th birthday Blue Chillies !

In celebration of such a milestone, a few lucky bloggers were invited to attend a fun-filled dinner experience. Drawing from Blue Chillies' vast experience of hawker-style cooking on the Streets of KL and Penang, and exciting fusion of fresh local ingredients with authentic spices, we were treated to a specially designed menu of their signature dishes and cocktails.

Whitebait and Sweet Potato Fritters

Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab

We started with the Whitebait and Sweet Potato Fitters which were oh so light and oh so crispy, allowing the natural sweetness of the sweet potato to shine through. Coupled with a chilli lime dipping sauce, these were seriously addictive. We also indulged in their Soft Shell Crab dressed in a ground peppercorn sauce. Unfortunately, the soft shell crab lacked a crispy exterior, with it's moist, delicate flesh taking over. Nevertheless, delicious. 

Rockling

Next up was the Rockling, and in my eyes, the star of the show. Gloriously crunchy rockling fillets dusted with potato flour and wok hei'ed with fragrant curry leaves, chilli, spaced and fluffy buttered egg floss. It rocked

my world.

Yee Sang Salad

Traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year, the Yee Sang salad is a popular festive dish symbolising good luck, prosperity, health and all things auspicious. Always a dish I look forward to eating every year. At Blue Chillies, it consisted of fresh salmon with a variety of crunchy vegetables and roasted peanuts in a apricot plum sauce. Super saucy.

Duck Rendeng

King Prawns

Pork Ribs

Thrice Cooked Duck

For the mains, we tried the Duck Rendeng slow cooked with roasted coconut and Malaysian spices, fresh ginger-root garlic and chillies, the crispy King Prawns twisted in rice noodles on a bed of tomato puree with pineapple and coconut milk, their Pork Ribs caramelised in chilli jam and their Thrice Cooked Duck served with a blend of wild ginger flower, lemongrass, chilli and lime juice. The flavours, the textures, the presentations - all ticked.Somehow, by the end of the night, we still had room for the dessert, and boy was it a treat. A modern take on the glutinous black sticky rice pudding, layered with rich coconut cream, palm sugar and toasted coconut flakes.With food full of flavour and flair and service to boot, Blue Chillies is exactly where you need to be to beat the winter blues.

Black Sticky Rice Pudding

Somehow, by the end of the night, we still had room for the dessert, and boy was it a treat. A modern take on the glutinous Black Sticky Rice pudding, layered with rich coconut cream, palm sugar and toasted coconut flakes.

With heartwarming food full of flavour and flair and service to boot, Blue Chillies is exactly where you need to be to beat the winter blues.

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Blue Chillies

Blue Chillies
182 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy, VIC
http://bluechillies.com.au 

 

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Middle Fish

Hip-hip-hooray ! Happy 3rd birthday Middle Fish ! And boy does Middle Fish know how to throw a party. Along with the Thai birthday brunch we indulged in, we also took part in a cooking demonstration where owner, Pla shared her secrets of Thai home cooking and the launch of Middle Fish's brand new shop featuring the eclectic works of international designer Khun Hem. 

The best way to describe Middle Fish ? If Thailand and Melbourne had a baby, Middle Fish would be the product - a fusion of industrial and modern art, large steel bench tops and exposed brick walls. Food wise, it's as authentic as it gets. Though I didn't manage to get my hands on each and every dish, here is a visual highlight of some of Pla's amazing Southern Thai dishes.

Kang Tai Pla

Chocolate and Almond Tea

Sa La Pao

Tiger Prawn Spring Roll

Mushroom Spring Roll

Mini Fish Cake Burgers

Salmon Salad

Thai Desserts

No doubt about, Middle Fish promises to bring the joys of Thailand cultures, customers and cuisines to Melbourne. In fact, I enjoyed my visit so much, I'm heading back tomorrow. Race you there ?

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Zilla & Brooks and Middle Fish

Middle Fish

122-128 Berkeley Street 

Carlton VIC 3053

http://middlefish.com.au 

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Night Noodle Markets 2014 - Part I

I must say, November has been rather exciting and it just keeps getting better. Not only does it herald the arrival of warmer weather, it also welcomed Australia’s largest food festival – Good Food Month.

The Night Noodle Markets swept Melbourne off their feet in 2013 and now they are back – bigger and better than ever. Migrating from Alexandra Gardens to Birrarung Marr, this year we greet over 50 food stalls and food trucks representing Asia: with delights from Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan to Burma.
 

Korean Crispy Chicken Ribs

We started with Gogi - Hammer & Tong’s newest food truck, bringing Korean street food to the streets (duh!). It was not an option to try these guys – it was a must. Half a bucket found us 8 pieces of piping hot chicken ribs, amazingly tender on the inside, super crispy on the outside, coated in a sticky honey glaze and studded with roasted sesame seeds.

Inihaw Na Manok / Inihaw Na Baboy

A stone’s throw away from Gogi, Hoy Pinoy pleased the masses with their Filipino BBQ & street food. It seemed like everyone had a skewer (or four). Joining the hype, we grabbed two of their Inihaw Na Manok (BBQ chicken in a traditional marinade) and two of their Inihaw Na Baboy (BBQ pork belly with banana ketchup glaze). Unluckily for us, it seemed we may have gotten a bad batch though. Our skewers barely luke-warm, pork belly was tough. chewy rather bland.

Spicy Pork Belly Bun / Peanut Butter Salt & Pepper Tofu Bun

Kong BBQ served up their buns – a mouth-watering Peanut Butter Salt & Pepper Tofu Bun with pickled mustard, crushed peanuts, coriander and a scorching lathering of burnt chilli mayo; and their Spicy Pork Belly Bun with pickled cucumber and crazy horse sauce. Both absolutely bun-derful !

Street Hawker

A few stalls down from Kong BBQ, Gelato Messina charmed the crowds with their phuc-king tasty Asian-inspired treats. My friend could not look past the Street Hawker, a dazzling combination of a lime and chocolate brownie, peanut gelato, coconut and caramel jam, fortune cookie clusters topped with a peanut cookie.

So what are you waiting for? Go on, head on down to Birrarung Marr with tastebuds ready to be tantalised and soak up the authentic Asian hawker market atmosphere.


What: Night Noodle Markets
Where: Birrarung Marr (near Federation Square), Melbourne
Cost: Free entry; dishes from $5-$15
When: Friday 14th to Sunday 30th November (From 5pm daily)

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Taste of Melbourne 2014 | Taste of Melbourne Giveaway - 2 x Double Passes

Wow, has another year passed already ? 

You know what that means though - Taste of Melbourne is back again, enriching the lakeside lawns of Albert Park this November 13th-16th with food, food and more food. Hang out with Melbourne's leading culinary masterminds, rub shoulders with like minded food lovers, immerse yourself in cooking classes, check out the latest food trends or simply enjoy the atmosphere. Taste of Melbourne. Be there.

This year, Taste of Melbourne have over 60 bite-sized dishes on offer from the likes of Brooks Restaurant & Bar, Lucy Liu, Mamasita, Gazi, Nieuw Amsterdam, MoVida and more.

You can imagine how excited I was to fly #TasteAir and embark on a culinary flight around Melbourne to preview some of Taste of Melbourne’s 2014 restaurants. 

FIRST STOP: BROOKS RESTAURANT & BAR

Sher Wagyu Rib

We kicked off the night at Brooks Restaurant & Bar, lodged beneath the streets of Melbourne, secluded in the basement of the heritage-listed Austral House on Collins Street. I was instantly wooed by their Sher Wagyu Rib - juicy, tender and of slightly gelatinous texture, the boneless rib was glazed in a sticky charcoal vegetable puree and crowned with fried vinegar infused shallots. What blew me away though was the Roasted Cauliflower Ice-cream - the roasting of the cauliflower brought out the most amazing depth of flavour and together with a drizzle of toffee caramel sauce, my tastebuds were in heaven.

SECOND STOP: LUCY LIU

Freshly Shucked Oysters

Green Papaya Salad with Beans

Lucy Liu Wagyu Beef F1 7+ & Lucy Liu Spiced Green Apple Coleslaw

Our next destination was Lucy Liu, the newest and trendiest multicultural Asian eating and drinking space. Here we started with Freshly Shucked Oysters with tangy nam jim and an authentic Green Papaya Salad with Beans that even Mama Piggy would have to agree with. We then sunk our teeth into a premium grade 7 Porterhouse Wagyu Steak with exceptional marbling and flavour which was lifted even higher with yakiniku dipping sauce and a hot mustard horseradish crème fraîche.

FINAL STOP: MAMASITA

Elote Callejero

Braised Zucchini Molotes

Tamal de Camarones

Taco de Pescado and Taco de Puerco

The third and final stop was Mamasita, arguably one of Melbourne's favourites. Our tastebuds were further tempted by their famous street style chargrilled corn (my all time favourite!), alluring and tasty Tamal de Camarones and earthy Braised Zucchini Molotes. The star of the show went to the tacos though, both the Taco de Pescado and Taco de Puerco were explosive in flavour and freshness. You can't miss these.

Taste of Melbourne Giveaway - 2 x Double Passes

So how do I win ? 

1. Like Confessions of a Little Piggy on Facebook

2. Follow Confessions of a Little Piggy on Instagram

3. Send me an email answering "Which restaurant are you most excited to visit at The Taste of Melbourne?" to confessionsofalittlepiggy@gmail.com


Giveaway Terms and Conditions: 

- Entries are open until Sunday, November 2nd at midnight AEST. 

 
- Winners will be notified via email by Monday, November 3rd, and winners’ postal address will need to be provided to confessionsofalittlepiggy@gmail.com within 48 hours. 

 
- Each winner will receive a Double Pass (valued at $60.00) which entitles them and a friend entrance to one session at The Taste of Melbourne. 

- Tickets cannot be resold for commercial gain.

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Hot House Media & Events, Brooks Restaurant & Bar, Lucy Liu and Mamasita 

What: Taste of Melbourne 2014 

Where: Pelican Lawn, Albert Park Lake
When: Thursday November 13 - Sunday November 16, 2014 

http://www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au 

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