Won Ton House

Review by Cabbage:

After a long week at work we decided that cooking was out of the question, so my family and I headed out for a night into the heart of Melbourne to try out Won Ton House on Russel St. The decor, was just as you would expect, plastic tables and chairs downstairs. Whilst upstairs large round wooden tables were scattered around the room with matching ornate chairs.

To relieve the chill three out of the four of us ordered our two favourites; Wonton Noodle Soup and Prawn Dumpling Noodle Soup, along with these we had the Combination Chow Mein and Chciken and Cenutry Egg Congee. On top of these we also enjoyed an entree of deep fried spicy squid tentacles and soft shell crab ins spicy salt. As was expected the squid tentacles disappeared as soon as they hit the table, the meat was sweet and tender. The soft shell crab didn't disappoint with its delicate meat hidden beneath the crispy batter. The soups were perfect to stave off the chill of the evening (although a couple more dumplings in the soup would have been welcome) with the Congee being the favourite of the night. The Chow Mein was also a crowd pleaser with its chunks of seafood, chicken and vegetables providing something for everyone at the table. All in all we enjoyed our night at the Won Ton House, the restaurant definitely provides "bang for your buck" with the bill coming to just under $80 for four.

Place: Wonton House
Add: 181 Russel St

Did we have a great time? Definatley

Would you go again? We would probably try another restaurant on Russel St first.

Recommended? Sure, it was great value for money.

BBQ HOUSE SeaFood Restaurant- Richmond

Hungry on a Saturday night the decision was made to grab something to eat before going to see Transformers 2 at Victoria Gardens in Richmond ( 2 and a half stars in case your wondering). So of course the natural choice was to wander down Victoria Street and see what caught our eye.

Why did we choose BBQ HOUSE? The truth is after watching too much Masterchef this week we couldn't go past a place with roast duck and pork hanging in the front window plus the fact that we could get a table straight away even though the place was full helped make up our minds.

We ordered four dishes to share and B-Girl ordered. It was a good thing that the crisp pork came out first because it didn't disappoint! Crispy skin, tender flesh, mmmmmmm it didn't last long.
The next dish was duck wrapped in fried taro. It came with a dipping sauce that enhanced the flavours and was also fantastic.
As we were in a seafood restaurant we ordered some calamari with Chinese brocolini and vegetables that did not hit the mark even thought the vegetables were crisp the calamari was a bit tough and the whole dish was uninspiring. Normally, when we go out for Asian dinners the calamari disappears as soon as the plate touches the table. Unfortunately not this time :( . Our final dish was a vegetarian stir fry of Chinese mushroom, bamboo shoots and bok choy. It complemented our other dishes well.

The bill came to just under $80 and the staff were quick to take orders.

Did we have a great time? Yes
Would you go again?ehh probably try a different place on Victoria street
Recommended? yes why not

Phillipa's Breads, Pastries and Provisions

There are countless places on High St Armadale where you can buy a $4.00+++ latte but for the most consistent service, highest quality of baked pastries and breads you cannot go past Phillapa’s Breads, Pastries and Provisions.

Even thought there is a cheap eats sticker on the door do not be deceived (as currently they stock a goat’s cheese called Holy Goat’s at $16.00 for 50g which makes it only $320 per kilo! Holy Goat! it better be good.) Nevertheless the aroma, taste and presentation of their produce highlights the use of quality ingredients and begs you to enter.

To their credit Phillipa’s use all organic ingredients which equates to no light, skinny options and no skinny lattes. For the veteran skinny latte drinker this is an unaccustomed change but the organic milk makes the coffee creamier and more enjoyable (plus it is only 2% extra fat.)

However, be warned once you make this small seemingly insignificant concession you will soon find yourself in the realm of pastries and provisions that necessitates that you throw the calorie counter out the window. At this point you are greeted with a wide selection of provisions that include chutney’s, biscuits, jams, cheeses and butter from France and organic milk that are imported or homemade and priced accordingly. Their amble selection of quality breads are well complimented by their provisions.

The standout aspect of Phillipa’s must be due its ever changing use of seasonal produce and incorporation of excellent organic food which creates the flavours. At the moment they have both generous pasties and sausage rolls on the menu. The vegetarian pasties have a crisp pastry that are filled to the brim with vegetables (which are distinguishable) filled with flavour and have a lovely aroma whilst the sausage roll has a nice mix of mince with adequate spices. These are served with homemade tomato chutney which has a chunky and silky texture. You can definitely taste the use of only top quality ingredients and after a few bites into either you forget about the lack of change and slowly begin to develop the Phillipa’s addiction.

Phillipa’s is on par with other places on High St when it comes to price but in a league of its own when comes to flavour, service and imaginative quality baking. The biggest problem you will ever have is that the taste and memory will linger and you will drawn back again and again.

Did we have a great time? Yes, service was quick and efficient! Food was great!
Would you go again? Yes I’m addicted
Recommended? Of course

Assaggi

99 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
95001624
Italian

B-Girl accepted an new position at work on Friday so four of us went for a late dinner on a Saturday night for a small celebration.

We shared 2 entrees the foccacia(ehh nice but nothing special)
and the bruscetta, which was excellent, as you can see heaps of tomato's that were nice and firm, but not hard, and when we finally found the bread it wasn't soggy as is sometimes the case

For mains we had

Rib Eye(medium)

Veal Scaloppine with a mushroom cream sauce (yummy!)

Whole flounder

Pizza with mushroom and truffle paste (the special), didn't look like anything special but tasted great! It's made in a wood fired oven which sits near the front of the restaurant.

Interesting enough nobody ordered pasta even though they make there own pasta and that's why we went there in the first place!

As per the entree we shared 2 dessert between the 4 of us, in this case it was the

tiramisu (a bit creamy for my liking)

and a ricotta and almond calzone (the special) with a vanilla bean ice cream, this was also made in the wood fired oven and was covered in a caramel sauce

The winners of the night where the Veal and the Calzone, the place has got a great welcoming atmosphere and we all felt relaxed straight away. The wood fired oven gives a nice warmth to the place, particularly on a cold(ish) Melbourne night. On the down side we all felt let down by the vegetables, they where all a bit over cooked and even a bit cold.

Total bill was just short of $200 which included a bottle of wine

Did we have a great time? Yes!
Would we go again? Yes
Recomended? Yes