tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189Sun, 01 Feb 2026 03:42:33 +0000Melbourne Restaurant ReviewCasual DiningFoodCuisine - Modern AustralianSeafoodSpot Score 14/20Spot Score 16/20Fine DiningSpot Score 15/20TakeawayCuisine - Chocs and SweetsCuisine - ItalianCuisine - VietnameseMarketsNew Zealand Restaurant ReviewTravel - New ZealandBreakfastCuisine - ChineseCuisine - FrenchCuisine - JapaneseCuisine - LebaneseCuisine - Middle EasternSpot Score 13/20Suburb - BrunswickSuburb - CarltonSuburb - Melbourne citySuburb - SouthbankTravel - VietnamCrown CasinoCuisine - IndonesianCuisine - MediterraneanHong Kong Restaurant ReviewSoupSuburb - DocklandsSuburb - FitzroySuburb - FootscraySuburb - North MelbourneTravel - Hong KongTravel - IndonesiaTravel - QueenslandBlog AwardBrisbane Restaurant ReviewCafe - A1 Bakery and StoreCafe - Balha's PastryCafe - Cafe PlumCafe - Cafe Zum ZumCafe - Crabapple Cupcake BakeryCafe - Fish BarCafe - Fraüs Crêpes ChocolatCafe - Joe's GarageCafe - Time and Tide Port FairyCuisine - IndianCuisine - SingaporeanCuisine - Sri LankanCuisine - Yum ChaFestivalsFoodcourt - Crown CasinoHanoi Restaurant ReviewPhotosProduct ReviewRestaurant - Ajisen RamenRestaurant - BismiRestaurant - Blue Tongue Wine BarRestaurant - De BortoliRestaurant - Gold Leaf DocklandsRestaurant - HakoRestaurant - La ContadinaRestaurant - Le GourmetRestaurant - Paris GoRestaurant - Pearl RichmondRestaurant - Pho Chu TheRestaurant - Piccolo MondoRestaurant - Rockpool Bar and GrillRestaurant - ScarpettaRestaurant - SeagrassRestaurant - Spicy CornerRestaurant - Tempura HajimeRestaurant - belleZainSpot Score 12/20StoreSuburb - Dixons CreekSuburb - East MelbourneSuburb - ElwoodSuburb - Port MelbourneSuburb - RichmondSuburb - South MelbourneSuburb - South YarraSuburb - TullamarineTravel - VictoriaVery Cheap EatsWinery - Yarra ValleyMelbourne Restaurant Reviews and Other Delectable Reflectionshttp://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Frankster)Blogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-6301749128010166077Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:33:00 +00002010-04-13T00:02:47.837+10:00Cuisine - VietnameseTravel - VietnamThe French may have the most obvious, though somewhat elitist bookmark in any current reference on the culinary attributes of snails. But having just returned from another work related (and food exploration) trip to both north and south Vietnam, I can attest that the Indochinese have their very own and certainly more down to earth chapters on serving up the diverse variety of gastropods that http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2010/04/gastronomica-gastropoda-vietnam-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-4729175985667762603Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:32:00 +00002009-11-23T23:17:16.640+11:00BreakfastCasual DiningCuisine - VietnameseMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - Pho Chu TheSoupSpot Score 15/20Suburb - FootscrayLoathed to raise this again, it's horribly cliché but Melbourne's frivolous weather continues to totally baffle me. A mere day ago we were sweltering through the city's hottest November day ever as the mercury hovered around 38°C for most of it, and yet this morning we woke to the wettest day in several years with temperatures cool enough to have to dig our sweaters out of the back of the closet http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/11/noodle-soup-cravings-pho-chu-footscray.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-8699721909907081503Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:31:00 +00002009-11-10T00:13:50.665+11:00BreakfastCafe - Time and Tide Port FairyCasual DiningCuisine - Modern AustralianTravel - VictoriaWe spent a recent long weekend dodging rain squalls along the southern Australian coastline halfway to Adelaide and back. Once again indisputable evidence that the surest way to break a prolonged drought in any region, would be to get us to plan a getaway there. Not that I’m complaining really. It made for dramatic scenery and it was a terrific time! Grateful to be breathing in lungfuls of http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/11/seachange-time-and-tide-gallery-cafe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-967983100336349222Wed, 20 May 2009 10:35:00 +00002009-11-04T02:13:35.784+11:00Casual DiningCuisine - ChineseCuisine - Yum ChaMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - Gold Leaf DocklandsSpot Score 14/20Suburb - Docklands Peanut and pork steamed dumplings, braised chicken's feet, and wu gok (pork filled fried taro dumplings)Recently sampled the dim sum at the relatively new Gold Leaf Chinese restaurant in Waterfront City at Harbour Town Docklands. The venue is located within Melbourne's newest complex for factory outlet shopping, so new in fact that many of the frontages remain vacant or were not quite yet at http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/05/under-bent-rim-gold-leaf-docklands.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-4423004777538426552Tue, 12 May 2009 08:39:00 +00002010-01-23T13:21:46.740+11:00Cuisine - JapaneseFine DiningMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - Tempura HajimeSpot Score 16/20Suburb - South MelbourneIt was the second time we loitered near its inconspicuous entrance. The first pass we walked straight by wondering if we’d misunderstood the seemingly clear instructions for the rendezvous. Glancing around furtively over my shoulder at the surrounding deserted office district, I pressed thumb on buzzer and the door clicked open in acknowledgment. Why the espionage? Were we about to be handed a http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/05/will-there-be-any-batter-tempura-hajime.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-5192184438655260100Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:59:00 +00002009-05-13T16:20:55.990+10:00Cuisine - IndonesianFoodTravel - IndonesiaIf it feels like a snake, and it looks like a snake, then it must be a ... fruit!?In my last post I put up a couple of cropped pictures of some exotic fruits I'd encountered in Indonesia. Well, picture No.1 is of the salak also known as the snake fruit or snakeskin fruit. These grow in clusters at the base of the imposingly prickly salak palm that is native to Indonesia, with each individual http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/03/salak-and-jambu-indonesian-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-6077585870314840940Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:15:00 +00002009-12-04T23:06:25.855+11:00Casual DiningCuisine - IndonesianFoodTravel - IndonesiaAs Melbourne Food Bloggers were living it up at the rescheduled version of their latest get together, I was stuck in a 5-hour layover at the main terminal building of KL International enroute home from Jakarta with only the bowl of curry noodles pictured above and the How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in 5 Years paperback to break up the boredom. As terminal purchases go, the noodle curry was way http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/03/lady-and-serpent-in-garden-of-eden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-5612950606029529968Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:40:00 +00002009-05-12T22:13:53.188+10:00Casual DiningCuisine - ItalianMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - Piccolo MondoSpot Score 13/20Suburb - CarltonThe stretch along Lygon Street that is Melbourne's Little Italy has always posed a bit of a conundrum for me. Just about every City guide book will list the street as a not to be missed destination for a sampling of the 'Restaurant City' that is Melbourne. And yet this busy and highly competitive length of packed eateries jostling for customers' attention each evening appears to be largely http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/01/no-inkling-piccolo-mondo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-9011688035375852262Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:12:00 +00002009-05-12T23:46:35.320+10:00Cuisine - VietnameseFestivalsSuburb - FootscrayThough I could continue to reflect back on the food encountered on a recent trip to Hanoi, there's really no reason to when similar action is currently happening right here in Melbourne! We hopped on the train last Sunday to join Footscray's Lunar New Year festivities on Hopkins Street, held a little earlier this year so as to not coincide with the Australia Day long weekend. The local Vietnamesehttp://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2009/01/footscray-welcomes-ox.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-8297858259187461158Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:11:00 +00002009-11-28T12:07:44.790+11:00Cuisine - VietnameseHanoi Restaurant ReviewTravel - VietnamInvestigation of restaurant opportunities in Hanoi led us to Nam Phuong, which offered 'traditional' Vietnamese cuisine within the fine dining confines of a revamped French villa, located within strolling distance from Hoan Kiem Lake. There was hardly time to wipe the sweaty post-walk sheen off our faces nor be dazzled by its fairylight cobwebbed facade before we were set upon by beaming doormen http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/12/getting-off-streets-vietnam-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-1268849407554471575Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:27:00 +00002009-05-12T23:49:28.899+10:00Cuisine - VietnameseTravel - VietnamThis latest trip to Hanoi was over two months ago. Everytime I travel for work, I envision that there'll be plenty of downtime to blog whilst on the trip. Well of course that's never the case. If I'd spent the evening back in the hotel room, I would either be stuck with my usual desperate rush to complete preparations for meetings the following day, or have returned so weary that all I would http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/12/images-from-hanoi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-4706274959902000541Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:54:00 +00002009-05-13T16:03:32.002+10:00Cuisine - Chocs and SweetsProduct ReviewPreviously unbeknownst to me, there are gourmet missionaries out there who challenge themselves to find the most compatible wines to partner with fine chocolate. And why not, a double whammy of euphoric neurostimulation if it works I suppose. My own experiences had been limited to spontaneous and regrettable occasions when mouth puckered at unpleasant tartness as vin du jour clashed with http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/12/like-wine-for-chocolate-cocoa-farm-wine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-3255787290655493304Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:35:00 +00002009-05-13T16:04:02.078+10:00Cafe - Balha's PastryCasual DiningCuisine - Chocs and SweetsCuisine - Middle EasternMelbourne Restaurant ReviewSpot Score 15/20Suburb - BrunswickTakeaway A selection of buttery filo, pistachio, semolina and syrupy goodness at Balha's PastryYes I have been absent and neglectful for some time. I do admit to reaching a point where Blogger’s more annoying idiosyncrasies such as its unpredictable interpretation of command lines and tendency to spontaneously evaporate uploaded pictures into the ether, irritated me more than was rational. That and the http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/12/lets-start-with-something-sweet-balhas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-5873900608779141410Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:41:00 +00002009-05-12T23:12:58.188+10:00Casual DiningCuisine - JapaneseMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - HakoSpot Score 15/20Suburb - Melbourne cityThe dining room of Hako Japanese restaurant is a pretty sexy place in the evening. And by that I don't mean brash bordello sexy as in red lace and black leathers (too bad if that's your thing), but rather a classy jazzy sexiness exuded by its monochromatic base colours and dimly lit aesthetic. Politely demure wait staff dressed in black, flickering tea-lights on tables and sparse moody rows of http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-is-unctuous-hako.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-268615363770149140Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:35:00 +00002009-05-12T23:31:13.632+10:00Casual DiningCuisine - Sri LankanMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - Spicy CornerSpot Score 15/20Suburb - TullamarineTakeawayVery Cheap EatsLooking forward to that cold and limp herbed chicken sandwich for your in-flight lunch shortly after take-off? Or worst if flying budget, anticipate forking out $7 or more for noodles-in-a-cup and a drink that will leave you feeling even more ravenous? Well here's an alternative if you happen to be on the highway to Tullamarine from late morning (11 am) to about 2 pm, or in the evening (5:30 - 8:http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/07/forget-in-flight-food-and-detour-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-7807321972748683364Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:05:00 +00002008-07-20T19:09:41.378+10:00BreakfastFoodSunday morning. Awake, but why? Winter. Cold, shivering, dim. Hungry.Kitchen. Espresso machine, strong long-black. Better...slightly.Courtyard. Colder still, biting breeze. Pot of herbs, struggling, sparse. But thyme, flat-leaf parsley.Stove. Ignite. Free-range eggs, dollop of milk, whisk, square of butter. Wooden spoon. Gentle yellow curds. Tasmanian smoke-cured salmon, hand shred. Add off http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/07/flash-of-sunshine-fade-to-black.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-2300240038111341090Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:05:00 +00002009-05-12T23:01:47.095+10:00Cafe - Cafe PlumCasual DiningCuisine - Modern AustralianMarketsMelbourne Restaurant ReviewSpot Score 14/20Suburb - North MelbourneCafe Plum's simple mushrooms on toasted sourdoughAgnes in her Melbourne food blog Off The Spork has repeatedly been positively enthusiastic about the breakfast virtues (and lunch, and dinner) of Cafe Plum, which was how we first found out about this otherwise very introverted diner located in isolation on Flemington Road opposite the Royal Children's Hospital. We were not the first from the localhttp://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/07/by-word-of-blog-cafe-plum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-4502648957375877288Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:48:00 +00002009-05-13T16:13:36.636+10:00Cuisine - Modern AustralianFine DiningMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - Pearl RichmondSpot Score 16/20Suburb - RichmondWe sauntered into the bar and mess lounge of recreation deck at last. It was welcomed relief after a hard day down at Engineering, recalibration of the antimatter injectors had been, well, downright anti-matter-of-fact! And Chief La Forge breathing down my neck didn’t add to the fun either, that man’s VISOR misses nothing! A quick scan of the room had the effect of calming familiarity plus Guinanhttp://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/07/resistance-is-futile-pearl-restaurant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-5281569816667024706Mon, 19 May 2008 12:57:00 +00002008-05-20T02:03:24.481+10:00Blog AwardFoodThe gracious Agnes, fellow Melbourne-based food blogger of the always very readable Off the Spork has passed onto Spot4Nosh the E for Excellent Blog award. Thanks Agnes! It is most gratifying to know that there are folks out there who enjoy the blog. I certainly enjoy adding to it since that means we've had yet another memorable (good or bad, no matter) food experience!I would like to pass the E http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/05/and-e-mie-goes-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-8475049596479377896Sat, 17 May 2008 07:04:00 +00002009-05-13T00:00:36.063+10:00Cafe - Joe's GarageCasual DiningCuisine - Modern AustralianSpot Score 13/20Suburb - FitzroyWeeks continue to merge at a rapid rate. It appears we're still on Brunswick Street though it's another weekend, but which one already? Today is more than grey. Windy, shiveringly cold, frozen ears, heavy drizzle and fog on breath. Weather that Melbourne used to be known for, though we haven't seen it for quite awhile. But isn't this just what we Melbournians live for, and hadn't we all missed ithttp://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/05/pies-aint-pies-joes-garage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-2596187706446056259Tue, 13 May 2008 13:32:00 +00002009-05-13T16:14:19.979+10:00Casual DiningCuisine - ItalianCuisine - MediterraneanMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - ScarpettaSpot Score 14/20Suburb - FitzroyWe woke late to rather bleak daylight, a weak almost noon sun struggling to break through the grey and with no hope of warming up the apartment. "What a delightful blue Sunday", commented KB half mockingly. But she was right, delightful enough motivation for us to attempt an escape from the chill with a leisurely walk somewhere out-of-doors. We ended up doing the entire stretch of nearby eclectichttp://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/05/fine-blue-sunday-scarpetta-ristorante.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-6719362267840447519Tue, 06 May 2008 02:57:00 +00002009-05-13T15:56:14.247+10:00Hong Kong Restaurant ReviewTravel - Hong KongI did manage some free days in Hong Kong to play tourist and fortuitously, the last happened to fall on the first bright and sunny day following two dreary windless weeks of grey smog and misty drizzle. Of course one of my first destinations on the day was to catch the funicular tram up Victoria Peak to take in the famous views of Hong Kong Island and its city skyscrapers and across Victoria http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/05/peek-at-pearl-on-peak-hong-kong-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-8834155402424241211Thu, 01 May 2008 01:42:00 +00002009-05-12T23:44:07.010+10:00Cuisine - ChineseHong Kong Restaurant ReviewTravel - Hong Kong Stone tablet motif of Shui Hu Ju's menuThe line-up of drafts that call for my attention here reminds me of the somewhat unsettling queue of floating planes I witnessed out my seat window only just recently, each held up in their allocated pocket of airspace as they await their turn to land at one of the busiest of airports. Which is a convenient segue onto my short stay in Hong Kong for work http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/05/birds-of-orient-hong-kong-food.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-8594868468485486855Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:19:00 +00002009-05-13T16:15:01.247+10:00Cuisine - Modern AustralianFine DiningMelbourne Restaurant ReviewRestaurant - SeagrassSeafoodSpot Score 16/20Suburb - SouthbankRegrettably this post had been languishing forgotten in draft for quite some time so hopefully our experience hadn’t become too redundant. But the restaurant is still quite new so it’s worth posting about. It is obvious that we at Spot4Nosh have a fondness for seafood. So it didn’t take much time for us to hear about a new seafood-centric fine diner that opened in the city during the latter part http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-patch-of-seagrass-on-river.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371937562245095189.post-5665216477677169547Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:39:00 +00002009-05-12T23:33:50.814+10:00Cuisine - SingaporeanFoodSeafoodTravel - QueenslandAs Valentine's Day is but tomorrow and because I'm in a generous holiday mood, let me tell you how to thoroughly impress and fully satiate your respective loved ones. And it'll work on those whom you're trying to make an impression on for the first time as well. Intrigued?If you live anywhere around the tropical top end of Australia, slap on your trusty Akubra (the one studded with crocodile http://spot4nosh.blogspot.com/2008/02/happy-valentinesand-how-to-wow-your.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Frankster)3