I eat.. Therefore I am

Wow how time flies! It has been two since I last blogged. The last couple of years have been rather eventful for me and I needed some personal time as I embarked on a big milestone in life. But I am back! Although I stopped blogging, It did not stop me from exploring all the new temptations in Melbourne.  I realised that my passion of food is the one thing that made me who I am. Lots to catch up in the coming days, this blog will be given a revamp shortly and yes, more updates on what's in and what's hot in the foodie world. 

Twenty and Six Espresso

594 Queensberry St North Melbourne

Quirky little gem and rather small. Yes, no surprise at all that this is another breaky spot that has a long waiting line. So be early or be hungry! Absolutely adored and loved the quirky themed decorations and drawings on the wall. Cuppa served in imported european cups and saucers. They sourced their coffee beans from Seven Seeds (House blend) and Proud Mary (guest blend).

The cassoulet - a rich, slow cooked duck fat casserole (with pancetta, pork and fennel sausage with garden herb crust) that originated from France. There is a lot to love about this dish. For a start, it is very rich in texture and flavors - the perfect hearty dish on a winter day in Melbourne. Presentation is one of its kind, extremely attractive and inviting.

Hunter is the next dish - Balsamic roasted Portobello mushroom with spicy chorizo; creme fraiche and black truffle oil. This is an extremely powerful dish, especially in flavors. Juicy, rich and silky mushroom garnished with truffle oil. Top it up with spicy chorizo and poached egg, I was laughing with joy. Being a mushroom lover, there is no deny as to how attractive this dish is. I am not a fan of truffle oil generally as it can overpower and cloud the true taste of a dish. Twenty & six's chef did an outstanding job in balancing the flavor of each element with the truffle oil.

Another worthy breaky spot that gives breaky hunters a breathe of fresh air. The concept and style is very "out-there" and quirky which will appeal to many. Waiting time again is an issue here but staff members are very friendly and courteous - you will hear a tingle on your mobile when a table is available. Food is one of its kind and is a definite 'wow' factor that makes this place rise above the other breaky spots.

Twenty and Six Espresso

Three Bags Full

60 Nicholson St Abbotsford

Here comes another popular breaky cafe that Melbournians adore. It was a wet Sunday morning, 20 minutes wait for a table inside as it was too cold to settle for outdoor sitting! Ambience was quirky and relaxed, just the perfect spot to dine in on a lazy and gloomy Sunday. Favorite theme - sheep and the color of yellow - talk about disconnection. Not a major problem as long as the food delivers.

My cuppa was very smooth although a little too strong for my liking which leaves a tangy taste lingering around my throat. Strong coffee lover would adore the choice of beans used.

In house creation - Three Bags Scramble. I have always been a huge fan of scrambled eggs. This dish brought a whole new dimension to the definition of scrambled eggs. It had a tad too much milk, which made it rather sticky but having said that, it contained loads and loads of taragon. Being a cheese lover, I could not go past pecorino scattered on my omelette - it added the richness in taste that was needed to bring out the flavors of the herb. The toast underneath was fresh and toasty with heaps of sesame seeds.

The other dish that caught my eyes was the steak sandwich with bacon and beet root puree. It was absolutely tasty. The steak was tender and juicy, and very well seasoned. Surprisingly filling for a gourmet-styled steak sandwich.

Staff was very attentive but rather disorganized. The wait time for the food was rather long - there were quite a few tables waiting on their food as I was seated. The food nevertheless is very delicious; which is why Melbournians absolutely adore this place - and would endure a relatively long wait time.

Chin Chin

125 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Tucked away in one of the busiest lane around the Melbourne city, who would expect to find a restaurant who can serve up Thai dishes with a modern twist. Did I mention that they were brilliantly delicious as well? The place was buzzing with a loud crowd on a Saturday night. Ambience was quite casual, with a bar left of the premise that can really help mask the 1 1/2 hours wait for a table and one would be asking - was it worth the wait? Read on and you can be the judge.

I could not recall what made me order this dish - pork roll up. Probably one of least brilliant dish for the night. Imagine peking duck with pancake but instead of lean duck meat with crispy skin, what you have here is shredded pieces of lean pork meat that came with a BBQ-like dressing and salad on the side. The shredded meat did not have much flavor to it and sadly, was rather dry. The BBQ-like dressing somehow managed hold the dish as a whole. Not a knock-out dish by far.

The next dish has a rather interesting name - son in law eggs. It is simply a dish of fried hard-boiled egg served with a rather flavorsome sauce and lots of fried onion. The eggs were cooked to perfection, with gooey yolks. The sauce was a little spicy and whatever the sauce is, it tasted pleasant.

The Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Papaya Salad was tremendously delicious. The crabs were fried to golden brown, and tasted absolutely divine. The papaya salad was very authentic, smashingly sour and addictive. However, sourness does not tickle your taste bud, you are definitely better off steering away from this dish.

And the dessert - Palm Sugar Ice Cream with Honeycomb was a delight. The ice cream on its own brought back childhood memories of those home-made ice cream that I used to have when I was a little kid. Personally, I am not a great fan of honeycomb but it blended so well with the palm sugar ice cream and the crunchiness of the honeycomb provided the perfect texture to complete the dessert.

Overall, Chin Chin provides the perfect fine dining in modern Thai cuisine. The dishes were relatively unique with fantastic flavors. Service is rathe average - given the fact that it is a very crowded restaurant. No reservations taken.

Chin Chin Restaurant