Foodie Diaries #002

Today's post will discuss -

1. Dare1
2. Cafe Carpenter
3. Om Nom Dessert Bar
4. Top Paddock

1. Dare1

Highlights: Cheesy Sweet Corn and Soju Cocktails

308 Little Lonsdale St

I headed here one night with my girlfriends, with having a great girls' night out. Indeed, we got to drink some great soju cocktails, and have some really good food here as well. My favourite dish of the night would have to be the sweet corn with melted cheese on top of it. The cheese was stretchy and rich, and given that it is a complimentary dish, it was a rather generous serving of sweet corn. Although, I guess other Korean restaurants serve you a few small side dishes, so it kind of balances out. This was an interesting change that I happened to really enjoy.

Sweet Corn Cheese and complimentary grapes

Fried Chicken Ribs

The fried chicken dips were pretty decent, although parts of it tasted a little burnt. They weren't, but I think the same lot of oil might have been used to deep fry these babies a tad too much.

If you were wondering how the soju cocktails went, they were simply amazing. I had such a good time with the girls that I neglected to snap some shots, but they were simply served in fat bottles placed in mini buckets of ice. We had a yakult (or was it yogurt?) soju, melon soju and the soda soju. Angela is Korean, and she shared with us that back in Korea, they buy those melon popsicles and dunk them into soju to create a cheap and equally yummy melon soju cocktail. Smart!

I noticed this place serves up half of a huge watermelon, and it's a shared drink named "Watermelon Milky Crushed Ice". It was described to me as simply watermelon mixed with milk and ice, which didn't pique my interest, but it did look like a cute novelty. It just might be on your must-try list!

2. Cafe Carpenter

Highlight: Interesting dessert and fantastic atmosphere with friendly and attentive service

742 Waverley Rd, Malvern East

Green tea latte (I was provided with some sugar syrup to go along with this, which I did not use in the end as it was sweet enough for my liking)

This place is a gem of a cafe. They are open from breakfast to dinner, with separate menus (I believe the breakfast menu I saw was not available when I visited at dinner time). The atmosphere of the place is simply amazing, and the staff there so friendly that it feels like home. I witnessed 2 adorable young girls engaging in friendly banter with the enthusiastic staff, and a customer (probably a regular) picking up one of the guitars at the side of the cafe and strumming some chords. 

I will be visiting this place again in due time, for breakfast/brunch, so stay tuned to my Food Diaries entries if you're interested, or just pop over yourself for a good time!

Tofu and Pork Belly

Cafe Carpenter serves up mainly a Korean cuisine, with some Japanese and Western influence. When I first took a bite of the tofu in the above dish, I was a bit taken aback at the almost icy coldness of the tofu, as Korean/Japanese/Chinese food is generally served hot, or at least warm. However, I soon got used to it and it actually went down really well.

The braised pork dish above actually reminded me of Chinese braised pork, which was really nice.

The dessert choices on the menu sounded extremely intriguing to me, and I just had to try to Vanilla ice cream with balsamic vinegar sauce. I am a sucker for weird shit like that.

It was interesting, in a good way. If you decide to order this dish, go easy on the sauce and make sure you have a 3:1 ratio of ice cream to sauce, or it might get too overwhelming.

I obviously had to get the brownie dish, which is made up of so many components, and I was keen on discovering how they all came together. There was cereal (cornflakes-like), nata de coco jelly, etc. As a result, the brownie actually ceased to be the star of the dessert dish. It was a rather peculiar and complex dish, in my opinion, but after having a taste of it all, it proved to be a pretty pleasant concoction.

I wish there was a way I could let you guys feel the good vibes I got from this cafe. I had such a good and genuinely relaxing time here, mostly due to the outgoing and pleasant nature of the staff. They are sweethearts! I hope Cafe Carpenter never loses this welcoming and homely nature in light of its impending surge in popularity (which I am certain will happen, sooner or later).

3. Om Nom Dessert Bar

Highlight: Dessert, duh

187 Flinders Lane (Level 2, Adelphi Hotel)

As part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, we booked a table for 3 at Om Nom under the express lunch package deal, where we got to pick from 2 courses, out of 3: Appetisers, Mains and Desserts.

Now before you go on to conclude: "Duh, I'll obviously get the mains and the desserts! A puny starter wouldn't be worth my money -", let me inform you that there really isn't any difference between the size of the servings with regards to appetisers and mains, so just pick whatever makes you drool most.

Soft Shell Crab

I loved this dish so much and I'm so glad that I picked it. The dressing was amazing, creamy and rich, and the soft shell crab was perfect.

Duck fillet

This was decent, but not remarkable, especially considering the price we were paying.

Eggplant stacked with halloumi

Raspberry Fields

This was such a glorious and gorgeous dish. I am positively in love with rosewater, so the little rosewater pearls that burst in my mouth transported me into heaven for a second. I loved the refreshing fruity element, but as I am not a huge fan of meringue, I can't judge that part of the dessert. Personally, I found it a little overwhelming for my tastebuds.

So unfortunately I can't remember or locate the names of the other 2 desserts, but one was a chocolate dessert with raspberry jelly in the centre. The other had the most amazing coconut ice cream which accompanied mango elements and amazing choux pastry. I loved the coconut flavour so much.

I wouldn't describe Om Nom as a hit and miss, on a whole. Some of their dishes are really good, while others are decent, with the necessary standard you would expect a restaurant that charges high prices like that to have. Some might say their food is more aesthetically pleasing than truly delicious, and I am inclined to agree, although I really did enjoy certain elements of the dishes that didn't appeal to me on a whole.

4. Top Paddock

Highlight: That pretty flowery dish and just being a place that you have to tick off your brunch place

I visited Top Paddock a year ago, with the sole intention of trying out that gorgeous dish of hotcakes complete with berries and edible flowers. I've had it a few times ever since (which is obviously a favourable sign), and I now present to you Top Paddock's ricotta hotcakes!

So yeah, I might have mentioned this before, but while a part of me has always had this nagging awareness that Top Paddock is more of a novel icon, I have enjoyed the food consistently. Their soft shell crab burger is good, and I loved their gin cured ocean trout the first time I had it, although it subsequently became too salty for my liking.

Either way, even if you don't fall head over heals with the food served here, you'll still be blown away by that stunning dish of awe. Do consider sharing it with someone though, because it might get a bit heavy.

Next up:
Mart 130, Tall Timbre, Fifty Acres