Top Paddock

Top Paddock, you never cease to amaze me.

Today, I must simply rave about their Blueberry and Ricotta Hotcakes. We all know, I’m not one to order sweets, but these hotcakes - they're something different. They have been on my mind for as long as I can remember. Be it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Urbanspoon or fellow bloggers’ posts, these hotcakes have been calling my name.

Blueberry and Ricotta Hotcake

The pillowy hotcake was light, soft and incredibly fluffy, whilst it’s edges had a nice crisp to it. Smothered in their delicious  organic maple, a dollop of mascarpone and spotted with crunchy pepitas, mixed berries and petals – it was almost too gorgeous to eat. What I loved most about this dish was that it wasn’t too sweet, with surprise pockets of ricotta that balanced out both flavour and texture.

How lucky I am, to work just around the corner from work.

Top Paddock

658 Church Street

Richmond, VIC

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Chocolate Truffles

There is really nothing quite like the silky sensation of rich creamy truffles - little pieces of heaven slowly melting on your tongue. And we all know, one is never enough. So I decided to go ahead and make a few dozen.

• Recipe: 
• 
  
• ▢   200g good-quality milk chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 
  
• ▢   2/3 cup thickened cream
• 
  
• ▢   Icing sugar, to dust
• 
  
• ▢   Cocoa powder, sifted to roll

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, break chocolate into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the easier it is to melt the chocolate.

Step 2: Pour thickened cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Step 3: Immediately pour cream over chocolate.

Step 4: Stir and mix until the chocolate has completely melted. At this point, you have now made ganache.

Step 5: Set aside at room temperature until it has completely cooled. Cover, and place in refrigerator overnight to set.

Step 6: Use a teaspoon to spoon out bite-sized pieces.

Step 7: Dust hands with icing sugar to prevent the mixture from sticking, and roll mixture into balls in the palm of your hands. Roll in cocoa.

Step 8: Share and enjoy !

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Darac Grill & Bar

There are a few ways one can keep warm on cold Melbourne nights. Snuggling up with warm blankets, cranking up the heater, or piling on layers and layers of clothing are just a few of the options available. But, what better way to warm your body and get the taste buds going than a spicy Korean army stew at Darac Grill & Bar.

Cheese Kimchi Sausage Stew

Looking around, every table had an army stew going. Come to Darac and not order one ? Don't be crazy, Darac is particularly famous for their stews. 

Our pot bubbled and boiled, and minutes later, our stew had turned a bright fire-engine red - it was ready. It was jam packed with sausages, spams of all sorts, kimchi, cheese, macaroni, japchae, ddeokbokki, zucchini  cabbage, tofu and onions. The combination of cheese and kimchi was genius, resulting in a creamy, yet spicy and tangy concoction which we generously ladled over our rice.

Spicy Pork Bugolgi

We also ordered the Spicy Pork Bugolgi, D-man's go-to Korean dish. This pork belly dish was full of flavour, though we found the marinade was slightly sweeter than what we would have preferred.

Cheese Fire Chicken

Spicy Korean stir-friend chicken covered in a thick layer of mozzarella cheese which oozed into every nook and cranny. You can imagine how fast we demolished this dish.

Beef Bibimbap

For carbs, we had the Beef Bibimbap which I though was just your average bibimbap. Served in a hot stone pot, the rice was accompanied by beef, an assortment of vegetables and eggs which we drizzled in chilli sauce.

Seafood Spring Onion Pancake

Fluffy triangles of pancake stuffed with seafood, vegetables and spring onion. Great flavour, though would have appreciated it more if it was crispier.

With its cozy vibes and comforting food Darac Grill & Bar was just one of those places that leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling. With the cooler weather in full swing now, I know I'll be back.

Darac Grill & Bar

51 A'Beckett Street 

Melbourne, VIC

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