A little morning detour

Last weekend I finally booked and paid for the tickets back to Hong Kong and China. I have been doing a very bad job in hiding my excitement for this upcoming holiday and trip home. There are so many people I want to see and lots of shopping to do, and of course the food...oh god. Please excuse me while I go wipe away the drool from my face.

Since there is still more than 2 months to go before my belly can finally embrace all that Asia has to offer, I will have to make do with whatever I can come across in this far far away land called Melbourne, Australia. Which is a lie, as the Asian food in Melbourne is pretty much on par with what you can get from their originating countries (hurray for multiculturalism!). But seriously, they really need to work a bit harder in the price matching department imo.. ha.  I mean, standard you tiao costs more than a coffee in Melbourne. I would rather save my pennies for the artery-clogging, cancer-inducing stuff from motherland thank you very much.

Anyways you tiao talks aside, I have been digging a particular Asian newcomer lately, that is the little hidden gem that goes by the name of Wonderbao. Despite the shop being tucked away in a tiny laneway off a small side street in typical Melbourne fashion, it hasn't made it too hard for foodies, local students and office workers in making their way to the eatery in search of fluffy, doughy goodness. Judging from the urbanspoon posts, I knew Wonderbao's popularity would mean that I would not be able to simply waltz in at lunch hour and find a spot to sit and enjoy a filling and flavoursome Asian lunch. I had to plan my move strategically. The only way I was going to do an efficient bao run would mean a detour to the eatery by getting of at Melbourne Central Station, eat and then head to work.

The first bao run happened a few weeks ago. I arrived at Wonderbao just after 8 and immediately  thanked myself for choosing not to come at lunch hour. Wonderbao was ever so tiny and there was only enough space for a high bench and a couple of stools by the front window.

For my first bao adventure I ordered a Da Chicken bao, a Taro bao and a cup of soy milk to accompany my breakfast.

Hot Soya Milk $2.80

I started with the Da Chicken Bao. And indeed it was very Da (big). The bao not only contained pieces of chicken but also chunks of mushroom and a slice of hard boiled egg. The bun was fluffy and not overly sweet.

Da Chicken Bao $3.20

Next to try was my taro bao. Whilst pulling the bao apart with both hands I was fully anticipating the bun to reveal a deep purple colour filling. Instead the contents of the bao turned out to be a rather neutral looking grey/brownish hue with the flavours being equally organic and nourishing. There was something so comforting about holding that bao in both hands and devouring it in hasty mouthfuls.

Taro bao $1.70

The soya milk was thick and lovely to start with but as it cooled down slightly, the sweetness overwhelmed me a little. I would love Wonderbao to have a unsweetened version of their soya milk.


My second visit happened yesterday. Alll this excitement about my Asia trip had me craving buns. This time I got the Char siu and Nai Wong accompanied by a lemon tea FOB drink.

Char Siu bao $2.00

The char siu bao again revealed very natural looking contents in comparison to the usual reddish type you can get at your local yumcha joint. These baos reminded me of the pork buns you can get from Japanese convenient shops, only sans the bamboo shoots which would make a worthy contribution towards the overall flavour and texture of the bao.

Nai Wong bao $1.70

Given how much I had enjoyed the taro bao last time, I thought it would be hard to top but this Nai Wong blew my socks off. It was not an amazing new flavour or texture that made me go wow, but to me this humble bao tasted like happiness. It made me a little nostalgic of my childhood in China, of the early mornings, the breakfast stalls, the people rushing in all different directions to work, to school..

Again it was a blissful 10 minutes of appreciation of good food and much-needed me time.
The laneways kept away the hustle and bustle of the CBD, and it was pure serenity - just me and the buns.

As you can see Wonderbao has definitely captured my tummy and heart. Although I am keen on coming back at lunch time to try their guabaos (only available after 10:30 am), the early morning calmness of this hidden establishment is undeniably therapeutic. This morning detour business no doubt will soon become a weekly ritual.

Shop 4/19-37 A'Beckett St
Melbourne VIC
website

More dough for my buck

Okay, so I admit I can be a bit of a foodie stalker on instagram.
Sometime mid last week I saw Melbourne Foodie Winceeee's photo of a pizza joint accompanied by a caption that didn't include a name for the eatery, only a description of its location being close to Melbourne Uni.

The photos were convincing and my curiosity got the better of me, so last Friday I dragged my usual work lunch buddy and partner-in-crime Kimmy towards Lincoln Square to suss out this new kid on the block.

Despite not knowing the name of the pizzeria and unable to find out any information on it via google, thanks to Winceee's mentioning of the address we were able to locate Kaprica without much difficulty. As we arrived smack bang at 12:30, we opened the door to be greeted by a long rectangular room filled with tables and chairs and ..(surprise surprise) lots of human beings.

The interior of Kaprica was rustic and laid-back. Perfect for Carlton without trying too hard to be cool and relevant. These days too many cafes try to outdo each other by installing upsidedown teacup lights and provide menus attached to clipboards. Here the menu is scribbled on a single piece of paper, it's minimalistic but adequate.

After a quick inspection of the menu, Kimmy and I chose the Salmone and Proscuitto pizzas to order. Choosing our items seemed to be the easier part of the ordering process as the restaurant was by then filled to the brim will people and many were already spilling out onto the street, waiting patiently for existing patrons to vacate their tables. It was almost impossible to grab the attention of the frantic waiter who was trying so hard please all.

It took over 20 minutes to place our orders and a further 20-minute wait ensued before any food reached our table. Conscious of time and mind racing with thoughts of work, I couldn't stop staring at Pietro Barbagallo across the room, in the open kitchen tossing the dough and churning out the pizzas. He was in his element, in a world of his own, as if he was completely isolated from all this lunchtime mayhem that was unfolding around him. It was a super impressive thing to watch.

And of course the pizza. When they were finally placed before us, I instantly forgave them for making me wait my entire lunch hour for their arrival. The flavours of the salmon and the little pops of roe complemented each other so well and the proscuitto was, well, its always a winner. But the most impressive thing about the pizzas were definitely the dough and the tomato base. The base managed to pull off both a wonderful chewiness in the middle and a delightful crispy edge. The tomato base was rich and wholesome and did a great job in keeping the toppings grounded so they didn't go overboard.

Salmone (Small) $12

Proscuitto (small) $12

Okay I am salivating just thinking about it.

Given that I have already raved about this place to pretty much every person (who can be bothered with my foodie rants) this past week, Kaprica is definitely my new fav pizzeria, knocking Pizza Religion off the top rank. With it's close proximity to work and their pizza priced at almost half the price of your average D.O.C fanfare, I will definitely be revisiting in the next few weeks. It might be a good idea though to adjust my lunch hour slightly to avoid peak hour pizza rush.

Kaprica
19 Lincoln Square South
Carlton