Noughts and Crosses Cafe, Flemington Vic, Melbourne
12/15/2018
Short Black (Camberwell Vic)
This a all-round Italian cafe, with ample premises and comfortable seating area, patrons of all ages and a large Italian and Australian classics menu, with generous servings. I had their hand-made chicken gnocchi with wine sauce and they were lovely, perhaps lacked a bit of finesse and were on the pricey side. Their earl-grey tea was great. I enjoyed my visit.
Port Of Call (Sandringham Vic)
They have a large menu appealing menu, something that really excites me.
I ordered the chermullah chicken warm salad, and wow! Fabulous, really. Great mix of flavours, textures and overall a yummy dish. I thought the baked chicken was a tiny-bit drier than it should, but not really dry. Nicely plated, and the portion was generous, too.
I ordered one of their cold teas, the sparkly Toddy, and at 7 bucks the glass I thought it was a waste of my money, as it tasked basically of carbonated water, not much flavour. I thought it would be better with just ice cubes or the hot version, because this sparkly one is totally forgettable.
I loved their ambience, colour scheme, and upbeat music. I'll be back.
12/03/2018
Legacy (Camberwell, Vic)
I went out of my way to visit this place due to the high ratings. Based
on what I got, the food is mediocre, portions small and my eggs were
badly poached, almost hard inside, not runny at all. The kimchi hash was
really good, nothing I have tried before and I really enjoyed it. The
chorizo was just a thin slice of it, one. Overall, forgettable.
Good coffee.
The staff were genuinely friendly, accommodating and very attentive. In fact the staff were the best thing of my visit
The place is really vibrant and comfortable, with a great seating common area
Good coffee.
The staff were genuinely friendly, accommodating and very attentive. In fact the staff were the best thing of my visit
The place is really vibrant and comfortable, with a great seating common area
Juno & May (Camberwell, Vic)
I had a pleasant visit for brunch recently.
Juno & May's menu is large, varied and interesting. I had the sweet potato hash dish, and it was wonderfully presented, colourful and really generous in size. Overall was very nice, but lacking finesse. The hash was too dense to be a sweet potato hash, more like a gnocchi mix used as hash and with little sweet potato (or so it felt to me) and it was burned outside. There was a lot of thought about the mix of flavours put on the plate, but a bit of more thought on the textures of the different elements would have made the experience more enjoyable.
Nice coffee.
The place is really lovely, spacious and full of greenery. The ambience is quiet , relaxed and chatty, and, at least when I visited. Mum, grandma and family friendly. Perfect for a quiet pleasant catch-up during the week.
Juno & May's menu is large, varied and interesting. I had the sweet potato hash dish, and it was wonderfully presented, colourful and really generous in size. Overall was very nice, but lacking finesse. The hash was too dense to be a sweet potato hash, more like a gnocchi mix used as hash and with little sweet potato (or so it felt to me) and it was burned outside. There was a lot of thought about the mix of flavours put on the plate, but a bit of more thought on the textures of the different elements would have made the experience more enjoyable.
Nice coffee.
The place is really lovely, spacious and full of greenery. The ambience is quiet , relaxed and chatty, and, at least when I visited. Mum, grandma and family friendly. Perfect for a quiet pleasant catch-up during the week.
BurGround (Moonee Ponds, Vic)
I visited this place when they first opened and their burgers are really good, large and yummy! Their aioli, made in the house, is excellent. Their chips aren't crunchy enough for me, and forgettable.
The staff were the kindest most loving people, really eager to please and very welcoming.
The premises are ugly, sorry!, a bit too large, like a recycled shop that hasn't been properly furnished, so it lacked ambience.
11/17/2018
MOB (Camberwell, Vic)
Located in front of the Camberwell Sunday Market, this is a very vibrant large modern cafe serving healthy yummy food.
My smashed pumpkin (avocado is dead Melbourne!) with beetroot pure, goats cheese, crispy kale and poached egg on toast was fabulous. The serving portion was generous as well.
My coffee was also fab re taste and preparation; good body, strong flavour minus the bitterness. Hurrah!
Two main faults, there was a tiny egg in my breakky. If it had been a jumbo egg, I would understand, but this wasn't a jumbo egg, so why not adding two small eggs? I thought there wasn't enough animal protein in my dish. Of course, this is just my preference, and it might not be yours. The second downside was the size of the coffee cups, one of those I call doll-house-cups.
Service was fast and uber-friendly.
My smashed pumpkin (avocado is dead Melbourne!) with beetroot pure, goats cheese, crispy kale and poached egg on toast was fabulous. The serving portion was generous as well.
My coffee was also fab re taste and preparation; good body, strong flavour minus the bitterness. Hurrah!
Two main faults, there was a tiny egg in my breakky. If it had been a jumbo egg, I would understand, but this wasn't a jumbo egg, so why not adding two small eggs? I thought there wasn't enough animal protein in my dish. Of course, this is just my preference, and it might not be yours. The second downside was the size of the coffee cups, one of those I call doll-house-cups.
Service was fast and uber-friendly.
Standard prices.
Laurent Bakery (Camberwell, Vic)
I had one of the best cakes of the last two months in this branch of Laurent's. Le Jardin D'ete or summer garden wasn't only beautiful to look at, uber-fresh but also delicious, with many layers of yummy stuff and with the right amount of sugar.
The place is really great, with many different areas: quickie family eat area, armchairs cosy classy corners, communal tables. I love the place.
Service was fast and friendly but also distracted. I ordered an earl grey tea and got a green tea. No-no-and-no. Please listen to clients.
I'll be back.
Hash Specialty Coffee (Camberwell, Vic)
The CBD Hash is one of my fav cafes in Melbourne, so I had great expectations about this cafe. Unfortunately, it falls short in all fronts if compared to the other Hash.
As a stand alone cafe, this is a lovely place. The staff are really welcoming and genuinely friendly, the premises are very cool, and the menu is nice enough. My pumpkin croquettes on salsa were really lovely, as it was the coffee I had.
Sushi Hub (Hawthorn, Vic)
Fresh and yummy cold and hot dishes and a great selection of Japanese
drinks. The nicest dishes aren't usually on the train but have to be
ordered. It takes little time for them to arrive, though
Fast and friendly staff.
Good priced.
Sushi trains are one of my fav things in the food world. The reason I go to a food train is because of the variety, the freshness and the fact that you have most things already on display, so you don't have to order anything unless you really want. And that is, precisely, what this place fails at, because most of the nicest things aren't on display, just the average ones, the rest have to be ordered. This being the case, part of the enjoyment of the train adventure vanishes like a puff. Said differently, this is more a la carte and takeaway sushi place than a proper sushi train, even though there is a train
Fast and friendly staff.
Good priced.
Sushi trains are one of my fav things in the food world. The reason I go to a food train is because of the variety, the freshness and the fact that you have most things already on display, so you don't have to order anything unless you really want. And that is, precisely, what this place fails at, because most of the nicest things aren't on display, just the average ones, the rest have to be ordered. This being the case, part of the enjoyment of the train adventure vanishes like a puff. Said differently, this is more a la carte and takeaway sushi place than a proper sushi train, even though there is a train
McDonald's (Flemington, Vic)
You know, when you to to Maccas you aren't expecting a gourmet burger or meal, right? Yet, not every Maccas is the same. I decided to review this place because my experience was really good here. The place was very clean, the staff were fast and friendly, and my burger was perfectly assembled, pretty as if for the races, and calling for a photo. The chips, however, were a bit too 'mashy' for my liking. If I had to repeat and go to another Maccas, this is the nicest one I've been in a long time!
Rococo (Hawthorn, Vic)
This is a family-friendly, all-rounder Italian restaurant that does well everything. They have a large menu with things you don't usually find in average Italian restaurants. Their food is tasty and their portions big -- size does matter to me. Even if you order just one dish, you won't leave hungry. My duck risotto was stupendous regarding flavour and the rice was perfectly cooked, not too chewy not too soft.
Very friendly, attentive staff.
Service can be on the slow side on weekends.
A bit pricey.
Muharam Cafe (Hawthorn, Vic)
I had a great experience at this Middle-Eastern influenced cafe. I ordered one of their breakfast boards, which has a few samplings of everything. Everything was good, especially the fritter with avo, poached egg and accompanying capsicum salsa. The granola was yummy, too. The mini-croissant was average.
Good coffee.
The place is modern, clean lines and decor, and very vibrant.
Some of the staff were really friendly, but others were totally the opposite. I visited late in the day, so it might be tiredness.
10/02/2018
Prospect Espresso (Camberwell, Vic)
I had a weekday visit to this place and was really pleased with everything.
Very good coffee.
Menu options were a bit disappointing, but the dish I had was very good regarding flavour; perhaps it lacked a bit of finesse, but was yummy nevertheless.
The staff were really sweet and lovely.
Service is friendly and relaxed.
Small premises, intimate and cosy cafe.
Great ambience music.
Relaxed vibe overall.
Gloria Jean's Coffees (Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong Vic)
I love Gloria Jeans flavoured coffees. The shop at Highpoint is really tiny, and not inviting to stay there for long, so perfect for takeaway. Not as nice or complete as other shops of the franchise. The staff are very hard-working and friendly, and service is always prompt, but paying 6+ bucks for a small flavoured coffee is a bit too much and really I doubt that I will go back.
Dumplings Plus (Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong Vic)
I prefer this shop on the ground to the one on the 2nd floor in Highpoint.
I like their steamed dumpling baskets; they are generous in size, fresh, and the filling is good. My fav dumplings are the chicken & ginger, and the prawn & chives. My main complain is that they tend to be over-steamed, so the dough gets a bit dry and sticky after being on the hot cabinet for a while. Also, I found big chunks of shell from the prawns inside the dumplings.
Good cheap jasmine tea pots.
Very friendly accommodating staff.
If you cannot finish your dish, ask for a takeaway container!
It has a very friendly staff, quick service and an ample seating area, however, the tables lacked small dishes to put the sauces.
Rustica (Hawthorn, Vic)
I've been here a couple of times, and I like the place.
The menu, to be fair, wasn't that innovative, but if you do well what you offer, then you win me over easily.
I had the Babaganush eggs and wow, I could not fault the dish. All the flavours worked beautifully together, a great mix of textures, the eggs were perfectly poached, and the whole ensemble was flawless. I felt tempted to lick the dish!
I love Rustica doughnuts, they are sweet but not overly so, and full of flavour.
Coffee is good.
Fast service.
My main complaints are the seating area itself, and the fact that the staff aren't especially friendly
9/30/2018
House of Marley Positive Vibration 2 Wireless Headphones
GOOD THINGS
> Good quality sound.
> Good bass.
> Cool design. Very classy and elegant, and they blend perfectly with brown hair.
> Buttons and connecting sockets are discreetly located and barely noticeable, so the set looks very polished.
> Good Bluetooth range, so I can move around my apartment without the quality of the sound changing of the connection braking up.
> It can be easily folded into itself and it is easy to carry.
SO-SO
> The Battery life. Not too bad but not too good either. Be sure to switch off the set if you aren't going to use it because, otherwise, the battery drains fast. If you switch them off, it will last you for several days of casual listening.
> The phone cord is a bit short and a bit too thick to carry it outside home.
> The design of the switch on-off button could be better. I would have preferred an on-off button that works without having to hold it, just by pushing it once.
NOT SO GOOD THINGS
> The earphone pods are too small even for small adult ears, like mine.
> The earphone set is too tight and pressures the head too much. As one can adjust the length of the pods but not the tightness, this set can give you a headache if you want to use it for more than a couple of hours at the time. This is my case, and I have a small head.
> No indicator of battery percentage left. I mean, even if there was, the indicator is at the base of one of the pods, so if you are wearing them you won't be able to see them. It would be great to have a notification bubble appearing on my device showing battery levels. Just a suggestion!
Overall, a good pair of earphones, but there are too many things needing improvement to ignore.
9/22/2018
Colori D'Italia Pizza - Pasta - Cucina (Melbourne CBD)
GOOD
A bit of everything sort of cafeteria.
Generous portions.
Good priced.
Fast service.
Clean spacious premises.
Lovely staff.
Great location.
NOT SO GOOD
The food., bland, unseasoned, lacking flavour. I visited for an early lunch, when the pre-prepared pasta dishes had been just cooked, and the pasta was already a bit on the soft side, not on the al-dente side. I think it would have been overcooked if I had visited 10 minutes later.
MIND
During the day, which is when I visited, this is more a cafeteria (a la hospital) which offers a bit of everything, mostly pre-prepared food, than a cafe or restaurant. They have a selection of rolls, sandwiches and prepared Italian dishes (fresh pasta dishes, meatballs) for you to choose from. Except for the breakfast and pizzas, which are cooked on order, the food they were serving was all pre-cooked. On the other hand, for those prices, you cannot expect real Italian either.
A bit of everything sort of cafeteria.
Generous portions.
Good priced.
Fast service.
Clean spacious premises.
Lovely staff.
Great location.
NOT SO GOOD
The food., bland, unseasoned, lacking flavour. I visited for an early lunch, when the pre-prepared pasta dishes had been just cooked, and the pasta was already a bit on the soft side, not on the al-dente side. I think it would have been overcooked if I had visited 10 minutes later.
MIND
During the day, which is when I visited, this is more a cafeteria (a la hospital) which offers a bit of everything, mostly pre-prepared food, than a cafe or restaurant. They have a selection of rolls, sandwiches and prepared Italian dishes (fresh pasta dishes, meatballs) for you to choose from. Except for the breakfast and pizzas, which are cooked on order, the food they were serving was all pre-cooked. On the other hand, for those prices, you cannot expect real Italian either.
Industry Beans Lt. Collins (Melbourne CBD)
I visited at around twelve. Due to the photos of food on Zomato, I
thought that they would be serving cooked prepared food. However, this
is not the case. They serve coffee and have a small cabinet with
prepared rolls, sandwiches, raw balls and cupcakes.
The place is cute, modern and in a killer location.
Coffee was well prepared but one of those too-much-milk coffees that is spreading like a plague throughout Melbourne. It might be just the beans they use or the roasting, but it was a meh coffee, totally postmodern meh.
I tried one of their cranberries raw balls, and I have to say it was absolutely delicious, filling, filled with goodness, totally tasty, not greasy and not sweet. One of the best raw balls ever!
Staff were underwhelming, reactive to any comment or action,. Thank gosh for Mr "Skinny Water', who understood what customer service is all about.
MIND
> No large size coffee cups or takeaways.
> No cash accepted. That's right!
> Receipts on paper not given. If you want yours, you add your email and they email it to you.
The place is cute, modern and in a killer location.
Coffee was well prepared but one of those too-much-milk coffees that is spreading like a plague throughout Melbourne. It might be just the beans they use or the roasting, but it was a meh coffee, totally postmodern meh.
I tried one of their cranberries raw balls, and I have to say it was absolutely delicious, filling, filled with goodness, totally tasty, not greasy and not sweet. One of the best raw balls ever!
Staff were underwhelming, reactive to any comment or action,. Thank gosh for Mr "Skinny Water', who understood what customer service is all about.
MIND
> No large size coffee cups or takeaways.
> No cash accepted. That's right!
> Receipts on paper not given. If you want yours, you add your email and they email it to you.
Shade Cafe (Hawthorn, Vic)
Coffee was really good.
Food was nice, but not beyond nice, really; good serving portions, and good priced as well. However, it took about 15 minutes or so for my food to come out and, honestly, it was not worth the wait.
The staff were really lovely but there was an evident lack of coordination and attention to detail. There were a good deal of patrons when I visited, but the place was not full by any means.
This is a good addition to the Glenferrie coffee strip, but there are so many awesome cafes around that they need to step up their game if they want to survive.
9/13/2018
OPPO R15 4G LTE Mobile Phone
GOOD THINGS
> Light compact phone, beautifully designed, classy and cool. Easy to handle even if you have small hands.
> The charging speed is amazing. Charger is really good quality. This is, perhaps, one of the main reasons I love this brand.
> Battery capacity is also amazing. I have experienced that for years with my old Oppo and still experiencing it now with this new one.
> Fast responsive intuitive touch.
> Clear, crisp vibrant images.
> Camera is very clear and detailed. There are many adorable stickers for selfies, a decent number of effects, basic adjustments, different light settings and an expert mode to take photos with manual settings. The results are excellent from both front and rear cameras.
> I thought that face recognition capability would be an unnecessary thing, but now that I've experienced the joy of unlocking my phone and apps by looking lovingly at my device, what the heck?! I think this is a must. Fingerprint, as in previous models, is really accurate and another way to lock/unlock phone and apps.
> I love the square 'button' on the screen, which is like the one tablets have to allow easy switch between open applications/windows. I really missed that in my previous phone, and I'm happy to have it in this one.
> The toggle is easily customizable and has a good deal of functions to choose from.
> Multi-screen allowed.
> The sound, which was one of my main complaints about my old Oppo has dramatically improved. The quality of the recording has improved dramatically, so much so that a friend commented on it.
> There is a safe kids' space for you to allow your kids to use the phone in a censored way, as you can put your naughty photos, videos or stuff in an inbuilt safe that they cannot access.
> There are tons of security features in this phone to protect your privacy, the leaking of the information from your apps, phishing and what's not. The phone comes with a simple but handy phone manager (to optimize your phone, which includes a simple anti-virus, and special settings to protect payment applications). One of the things I like the most, is that, regardless of which keyboard you are using, when you have to login and type a password the system automatically switches to the inbuilt keyboard, so your passwords cannot be 'recorded'. Also, you don't need any extra app to lock your applications as you can do that from your phone settings.
> Some apps are part of the system: compass, torch, night shield, calculator, assistive ball and even Google assistant. I personally don't want to be assisted by Google, but if this is your cup of tea, you can easily activate it and use it from your phone.
> One of the pages of the phone screen contains a customisable Google shortcuts area, a Google search area, a steps tracker, and a few other things that you can add if you don't activate Google Assistant in that space
> Free wallpapers and themes in their 'theme store' app.
> Unless you really want a new case , the included translucent silicone case will do the job and be enough to protect your beautifully-colored device. It is a bit rigid, but it adjusts perfectly and is not 'slippery' when I put it on my lap.
ANNOYING THINGS
> The most annoying thing to me is the way the designers have reorganized the phone settings area. I really appreciate many of the additions and improvements, but I would had rather kept the previous settings structure (very similar to pure Android) and add new sub-sections, than doing what they've done. It took me a while to go through the settings area to customize my new Oppo. Any person changing from any pure Android to Oppo's derivative Coloros system might be baffled.
> Lack of a purposely-built app drawer. I've downloaded an app that does just that, but it's difficult to understand why the designers have ignored Oppo customers' complaints on this issue for years.
> This is not a true dual SIM phone, but a hybrid dual SIM, i.e., you can use 2 SIM cards or 1 SIM card and 1 memory SD card, not 2 SIM cards and 1 SD card. Why not, Mr Oppo?!
> The download folder is nowhere to be seen. It was part of the system in my previous Oppo, not in this one. I use that folder a lot. I had to install an app to access that folder easily. What were the designers thinking?!
> Although the quality of the sound is good, the speaker has some some sort of glitch and if I am hearing a voice message and move the phone, the sound stops.
> The sound volume has been reduced, which is OK, if you use earphones to listen to anything. However, if you want to use the speaker, the volume is not high enough to be heard in a normal-noise environment, not to say in a noise environment. My old Oppo was way better in that regard.> The tips guide is too short and incomplete to be a proper user guide.
> No inbuilt notepad or notebook.
> The inbuilt steps tracker is not customizable and it has a life of its own. I mean, it cannot be stopped or switched on at volition.
> The toggle was great before regarding contrast. There has been an update of the system since I bought this phone, and now the toggle is white and green, very bad for people with sight problems or simply poor sight. I was thinking it could be customised to turn it into the previous dark theme, but it is not possible.
> I chose this purple-ish model because it looked truly beautiful in the shop under artificial lighting. In normal light and with the transparent cover on, the color is not so noticeable and not so beautiful, and it looks almost black. Waw waw waw. If I had known, I would have chosen the red model.
> The colours aren't as vibrant or beautiful as those of my previous Oppo, especially for interior.
USE TIPS
> To change the background and theme, go to the theme store in-built app. Backgrounds and themes are free; download them and then apply them in full or just to the home wallpaper, lockup screen wallpaper, or just the icons.
> To access widgets and screen effects, pinch in on the screen's empty space.
> To take a screenshot, simultaneously press Up volume button + power button. Also, if you enable the function in the phone settings, you can use sliding of three fingers down to automatically capture the image.
> If you optimize your battery, vibration, sound, notifications, brightness, and data settings, you will have battery for nearly two full days. Do you really want your phone to send you endless notifications about anything? Do you want all your notifications to have sound and vibration? Do you want your phone to vibrate for everything? Do you want the keyboard to have typing sound? Do you want full brightness all day? Do you need to have your WiFi/data on all day long? The answer will change from person to person, of course, but generally speaking unnecessary sounds, display features and notifications drain the battery of this phone unnecessarily.
IN SHORT
I really love this phone. I think it is a bit tricky to get around the settings during the first two or three days. However, this is a de-luxe-feel, good quality, sturdy, classy and wow device at cheaper prices than other smartphones with similar or identical features. Not cheap though.However, the designers of interface and hardware features seem to be out of touch with the needs of customers, even those loyal Oppo customers like me, as some things are altered and made less user-friendly than before, some general complaints about the system cried out by users are ignored, the result of that is the section annoying things, which is a bit long for any phone or brand that costs as much as this smartphone.
Logitech M185 Swift Grey Wireless Mouse
PROS
> Lightweight.
> Intuitive and very responsive to movement.
> It works on almost any surface. Right now I'm using it on my fabric sofa without any mat or support underneath, and it works to perfection.
> Sizing is on the medium side, so it will suit people with small and big hands.
> The USB pin is easily stored in the mouse belly, which makes it perfect for people on the go.
> Long life battery even though it is powered by only one AA battery.
> Great value.
CONS
> It is all made of cheap-looking plastickie material and it looks cheap.
> No buttons for shortcuts or anything. It has the right and left buttons plus a scrolling wheel; if you want more, this mouse is not for you.
> The click is a bit noisy. Not a problem if you use the mouse sporadically, but a bit annoying if you use it the whole day.
> A bit bulkier than I would like it to be.
9/08/2018
Billy's Central (Melbourne Central, Vic)
I've been to this place plenty of times due to its convenient location and prompt service.
I like their menu, which changes often. Everything I have tried has been good, on the large size, and nicely presented. They also have a good selection of smoothies and teas. However, I have always left feeling that my food could have been better, that my dishes were a step down for what they were intended to be, if you know what I mean. Take the last dish I had, for example, the taste was good, all the single elements were great, but the toast was too small to accommodate all the adds-ons, and the dish lacked texture, so it was all too 'mashy'. I think if they put a bit of more thought on the dishes, the food could be even better.
Good coffee.
Friendly staff and quick service.
Functional premises.
Average prices.
I like their menu, which changes often. Everything I have tried has been good, on the large size, and nicely presented. They also have a good selection of smoothies and teas. However, I have always left feeling that my food could have been better, that my dishes were a step down for what they were intended to be, if you know what I mean. Take the last dish I had, for example, the taste was good, all the single elements were great, but the toast was too small to accommodate all the adds-ons, and the dish lacked texture, so it was all too 'mashy'. I think if they put a bit of more thought on the dishes, the food could be even better.
Good coffee.
Friendly staff and quick service.
Functional premises.
Average prices.
La Porchetta (Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong Vic)
If you are hungry and craving carbs in the Highpoint shopping mall this is your place. They have a mix of pasta and pizza dishes, with different sizes on offer. I had one of their small pizzas (the sausage, broccoli and ricotta) and it was very tasty. Not bad, but not good either. The small size is more than enough for lunch.
Friendly caring staff.
Outdated premises.
I found the prices on the high side for what they serve, but this is Highpoint.
Unabara Lobster & Oyster Bar (Melbourne Central, Vic)
I've been there a couple of times, and left feeling that the dishes tasted good but were way overpriced, especially taking into account that some of the dumplings are frozen. I love their mocktails.
Correct service, but on the slow side even when the place is not half full.
Great location.
They aren't happy to adjust dishes, so they lose business just because of their lack of flexibility.
8/28/2018
The Resistance (Hawthorn Vic)
Don't resist the resistance! They have great burgers and fries at reasonable prices, in a killer location and very friendly staff. The burger was asbsolutely yummy, well assembled, the bun the righ size, so tender and briochey. Flavoursome well cooked meat. I had the simpler burger and I was impressed.
Why not 5 stars? Because it took ages for a simple burger to come to my place even though I was the only customer waiting. And because, to me, the place lacks a bit of glam.
#Somalieats (Flemington, Vic)
Honest authentic Somali food at reasonable prices. The food is cooked
from scratch, home-style, something that always excites me. The place is
frequented by first and second generation Somalis, so that's a
guarantee of authenticity to me.
I had the tasting platter. It has two yummy fritters, hearty spiced rice with lamb, and a refreshing yogurt-based dessert with mango, grated coconut and walnuts. I loved everything. The mains are man-size, so you won't leave hungry. The tasting platter is also man-sized, something that always makes my belly happy.
The staff are really friendly.
Relaxed atmosphere.
I would happily give them five stars if it wasn't because some dishes were still unavailable, and on the making, after 1pm; on the other hand, is understandable as there are just a couple of ladies attending to the kitchen.
I love genuine international food eateries, and this is one of those!
I had the tasting platter. It has two yummy fritters, hearty spiced rice with lamb, and a refreshing yogurt-based dessert with mango, grated coconut and walnuts. I loved everything. The mains are man-size, so you won't leave hungry. The tasting platter is also man-sized, something that always makes my belly happy.
The staff are really friendly.
Relaxed atmosphere.
I would happily give them five stars if it wasn't because some dishes were still unavailable, and on the making, after 1pm; on the other hand, is understandable as there are just a couple of ladies attending to the kitchen.
I love genuine international food eateries, and this is one of those!
Saint James (Malvern, Vic)
I went all the way to this place due to the high ratings, and I was disappointed except for the coffee, which was excellent. My dish was good enough, but nothing especial. I had the bacon mash cake dish and it was lovely; I especially liked the accompanying sauces and pickles and a the overall dish. However, if you mention 'bacon' together with 'mash, I expect the bacon to be more noticeable.
Friendly staff.
OK premises
8/11/2018
Ubuntu Vegan Cafe (Hawthorn Vic)
I had a great experience in this vegan cafe. I am not vegan but
omnivorous, so I also eat vegan. and I am fascinated by how veganism
works with taste.
I had the Lizzy burger, with comes with a basket of sweet-potato chips. Wow! It is a mix of beetroot brioche bun, pineapple and Portobello mushrooms, an odd mix of things, I thought. However, all the flavours work together and my burger was finger-leaking yummy. The chips were also yummy, crunchy and very tasty. The main downside is that, due to the way the burger was assembled, the filling kept sliding out, so I had to use knife and fork to finish my burger. To me, that's a let down because a burger is something I want to eat with my bare hands.
I'm a bit of a coffee nerd. Not having skim milk to have mine was a bit of, I dunno. However, they have an excellent soya milk coffee! The soya barely noticeable.
The staff were totally awesome, genuinely friendly.
The premises lack character, so it is not a place you go to experience the place and ambience.
Pricing is on the high side.
I had the Lizzy burger, with comes with a basket of sweet-potato chips. Wow! It is a mix of beetroot brioche bun, pineapple and Portobello mushrooms, an odd mix of things, I thought. However, all the flavours work together and my burger was finger-leaking yummy. The chips were also yummy, crunchy and very tasty. The main downside is that, due to the way the burger was assembled, the filling kept sliding out, so I had to use knife and fork to finish my burger. To me, that's a let down because a burger is something I want to eat with my bare hands.
I'm a bit of a coffee nerd. Not having skim milk to have mine was a bit of, I dunno. However, they have an excellent soya milk coffee! The soya barely noticeable.
The staff were totally awesome, genuinely friendly.
The premises lack character, so it is not a place you go to experience the place and ambience.
Pricing is on the high side.
8bit (Footscray Vic)
The place is a bit run down, and needs an update re seating area and interior. However, you don't go there to enjoy the premises.
My burger was excellent regarding flavour, easy to eat, well assembled, and the way is presented is perfect not to make a mess on the table. My only criticism is that there was a noticeable difference in temperature between the bun and the filling, something I found odd. Flavour is everything to me, so this was a very flavoursome burger.
Onion rings and the accompanying sauce were awesome re flavour, but the rings were a bit oily.
Friendly staff. Fast-ish service.
I'll be back.
Crux & Co Patisserie (Melbourne CBD)
They have a small selection of cakes but, wow, the yuzu cake is absolutely yummy and beautifully presented.
The barista prepares an excellent coffee and he is super-artsy with his coffee art, which he personalises for each client. Nicest coffee art I've seen in Melbourne.
This cafe is inside the Sheraton, barely noticeable from the street. It has a very small seating area, but it is very cozy and quiet.
Staff were very friendly, especially the boys.
I'll be back
Burma Lane (Melbourne CBD)
I had a great experience for lunch in this place.
I had some of the grazing tapas-sized dishes, and I was very impressed with the creativity of them all, and the wonderful mix of flavours. Everything I tried was yummy and satisfying. Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was their tofu dish; tofu is one of those ingredients that, unless you know how to cook it, it can be bland and boring. Not here, the dish was so full of flavour and so silky that I would go there just for their tofu dish.
Attentive service and genuinely friendly staff.
Beautiful premises.
A bit pricey but totally worth it.
