There’s classy, then there’s classy. Want the ultimate exclusive experience? It doesn’t get more on-the-surface-looks-so-pretentious-and-foodie-exclusive than this. But let me tell you now, it’s the friendliest, silliest, laughter filled and delicious eating experiences you can get. Continue reading Kuro Kisume – The Table – 13 Dec 2017
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.
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!
Continue reading Embla – 11 Dec 2017
My visit to Cumulus Inc this year was short and sweet, and luckily, I’ve posted about this place before for reference, because there’s one dish that made such an impact the first time I visited, that I keep coming back. This time’s no different – the fish here is fantastic. This will mainly be just a quick post of food that I ate this time since my opinion on this place hasn’t changed.
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, which makes total sense to me since I’ve read about the awfulness of no-shows.
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 Brother Baba Budan during closing time, and then wasted 30 minutes 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.
I have this thing where I never, ever manage to blog about Melbourne. I have no idea why, I think it’s because it usually marks the end of a long trip and then I don’t ever find the time to write about it. So my last ditch effort is to make this single post about the most amazing place for coffee – Aunty Peg’s. It’s Proud Mary’s cellar door, a black coffee haven, and I was lucky enough to go during their Gesha showcase with different varietals!
I could say all sorts of lovely things about their coffees, but pictures are worth a thousand words 🙂
It’s taken me a while to post my Attica experience since I’ve been very busy since picking up a more… offline hobby. So here it is, finally! Most of it was written shortly after my experience so hopefully the accuracy is maintained 🙂
I didn’t know too much about Melbourne on both my 2012 and 2013 visits, so trying to figure out which restaurant to book was a little tricky. I had failed to book Attica in 2013, around about the time it was ranked 21st in the San Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants list. The only place I had really wanted to go to was Cumulus Inc/Cumulus Up, so after thinking and taking a stab in the dark, I chose Vue de Monde.
It sits in the Rialto tower and gets a view of the city, though not really a pretty view or anything. What was exciting though, was this was probably the most fun and interactive degustations I’ve had, especially considering I had dined at Momofuku Seiobo not even two weeks prior.
I’ve been wanting to go to Cumulus Inc ever since my first trip to Melbourne, but didn’t get the chance until the end of 2013. I should have gone much earlier! It’s a delightful little place and I love the cloud theme and how it extends to the branding on their glasses. It’s also a very single-diner friendly restaurant and it’s open for breakfast all through to dinner!
