Category: Food
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Supernormal
Can you believe that I also have not posted about Supernormal?? I remember really, really wanting to go here, and braved the queues for it. Then, my first experience was ordinary. But on this revisit (because my friend wanted to try it), I really liked it! I figure what I ordered must have been more to my taste, which has a huge impact when the cuisine type is Asian since I’m so picky about it.
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Embla
Embla and Bar Liberty were both restaurants that I really wanted to go to (though I guess they’re more wine bars, but that’s a minor technicality since they serve up delicious grub), and about equal on my piority list. In the end, I made my decision via the restaurants’ proximity to my location at a set time. As a result, Embla it was, since Bar Liberty appears to be out in Fitzroy.
It was a win/win to make a short notice decision because they’re walk-in only (my favourite type of restauant), and it was a Monday, which meant it was guaranteed to be less busy. We were seated at the kitchen counter, so away we ordered!
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Cumulus Inc
Can you believe I’ve not made a Cumulus Inc post before this? Even though it’s my favourite accessible restaurant in Melbourne? Wow. I guess I finally found the time to do so, though yes, at the expense of some other stuff. I’m meant to be doing more food prep at the moment, but I know that if I don’t get all these posts out before the new year, they’re going to get forgotten like all the other times that I’ve gone to Melbourne and never posted about it. So I’m trying really, really hard!
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Tipo 00
My first impression of Tipo 00? Rather strange. They have a great and far-reaching reputation as an amazing Italian restaurant that everyone loves, so it went to the top of my list very quickly. However, I wasn’t able to get a table last year. I tried a walk-in on a Friday night for 2 people (lol, so you can already guess what happened) and was told the wait exceeded two hours, so they didn’t put us on the waiting list. They were slightly abrupt about it in my eyes, and that’s why I found it odd that time. Probably not really that abrupt, but rather, just plain speaking.
Fast forward and I attempted to call to make a booking for one person on a Thursday night this year, and they told me that I should be able to walk-in for it rather than place a reservation for me. I’ve not been declined a 1 person reservation before, though, I’ve also never done it over the phone (though I was about to shortly for Minamishima), so I found that odd. Maybe they were afraid of holding a single spot since 2+ diners were far more common? Perhaps also they didn’t want a potential no show? I figure that they preferred the “security” of a 2+ person booking, which is why they recommended the walk-in.
Anyway, so finally the time came for me to see if I could get a table here. I actually forgot that they weren’t located on Flinders Lane; I had just had some coffee at BBB during closing time, and then wasted 30mins before attempting to find the restaurant. It turns out they’re right next door to the cafe! So I walked all the way back, and made my enquiry at 6pm. Already the place was full, and for me to get a table for one, would be a one hour wait. Sure, I was happy to wait. I just couldn’t believe they filled up so quickly! No other city seems to have a full house by 6pm. So, I put down my name and number, then took a walk. At 6:30, I got my call. Yay, a table was available! So I teleported back and finally got my seat.
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Shanghai – November 2017
Finally, some time off to continue posting! I’ve not had a blog backlog this extensive before. Good thing instead of bashing away at my Surface Pro 3 keyboard, I’m going full speed with my Cherry Blue MX Ducky. Woohoo! Hopefully I remember everything that’s supposed to go into this post.
To start off with, this was a necessary trip that wasn’t my decision, so it was a super short stay where I didn’t plan too much for myself in case there wasn’t any time to explore. That being said, yes, there were backup plans. Just in case I could roam free…. (more…)
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Hong Kong – October 2017
Circumstances lead me to take a relatively unplanned holiday, and one for visiting relatives instead of exploring by myself. However, my brother managed to suggest that we stop by Hong Kong first, and that way, I could tick off another country that I’ve been too!
I was quite looking forward to it since I heard about the efficiency of Hong Kong, and I figured it’d be easy to navigate and communicate since the people there could speak English.
But first, plane wings!
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Lulu La Delizia
It feels like it’s been a long while since I’ve eaten at a restaurant in Perth. I keep saving my money for interstate/international restaurants, mainly because nothing here really compares, but that’s probably bias at work too. I still love Sydney the best. Of course, if I’m offered, I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to visit a restaurant that’s been raved about by chefs and critics alike.
I don’t do Italian food because it’s done so poorly and your average non food person thinks it’s just all pizza and pasta, really heavy, tomatoey things. I always look for something more, like a fish soup, white pizza, or really light looking dishes, but they’re hard to come by. Rosetta was really good, but not a standout – the best thing there was the olive oil for dipping bread in. There’s so much mediocre stuff out there and I’m not game enough to learn the world of Italian food. But given the rave reviews and a great opportunity, I decided to give Lulu La Delizia a go.
A bit of background, there’s a restaurant in Perth called Lalla Rookh that caught my attention when I first came to Perth. The second Italian restaurant I was recommended was a place for Galileo. I never went to either. But, I’d heard that the head chef of Lalla Rookh quit to open a new restaurant, and lo and behold, I saw it pop up during some of my walks. I’ve always been curious about it, and then the reviews started coming in, saying it was the best pasta, not just in Perth, but was holding its own against level of praise of places like Tipo 00 (which I still need to go to!). My flatmate decided to treat me since I finally had (several) nights off because of my recent appendicitis, and my appetite was back so why not!
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Japan, April 2017
Time to post about my second visit to Japan. While I was still pretty clueless, my brother had been living in Tokyo for a while now, so I pretty much had a guided tour, which was pretty cool. What I didn’t expect was for it to still be so cold the first couple of days! That was mainly because it was also rainy; the last few days were nice and warm.
I had wanted to book a nice restaurant while I was here, but alas, the ones I wanted were all closed! It wasn’t until afterwards that I realised that it was because the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best awards were on. Then I didn’t mind so much that I missed out. Maybe next time!
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Singapore Coffee
Oops, I forgot that I intended to split Singapore into two sections, one about street life, and the other specifically for coffee. Guess I should post that now before I get distracted by my Japan adventures!
I started compiling my Singapore list quite a while ago, and one of the recommendations actually came from some coffee people while I was in Dubai. That was Common Man Coffee, and in a stroke of luck, my accommodation was nearby so I knew that if all else failed, I’d have an easily accessible cafe if I ran out of places to visit. Being part of the 5 Senses group, I also know that it’d have a certain level of reliability to it.
What I didn’t anticipate was the late opening times of cafes here. By late, I mean 7:30am. Some other cafes opened even later than that! It was probably the biggest shock to my system here, since I’m used to cafes being open before I’m awake back in Aus.
The prices here are pretty insane too. Breakfast and two coffees cost me about 40SGD, and my conclusion is that Australia does the best Aussie brunch!
