Hola! Fonda

Spontaneous after-work foodie trips are the best, even if it means my wallet has to suffer some unexpected damage and vegetables in my fridge meet their sad, lonely deaths. Well the happiness I gain from these outings do make up for it haha. 

I have been wanting to try Fonda Mexican ever since I saw my ex housemate post an instagram pic of her mexican outing, and when the restaurant came up in conversation with a work friend K,   she raved about the huge servings, the cheap prices and most of all, their chunky chips covered in Chipotle Aioli. Now I must go, you had me at chips+aioli. 

As Fonda Mexican is situated near the intersection of Swan and Church Streets in Richmond, it is a pain to get to/ find parking around if I were to drive out there from home. It was however only a short two-stop train ride from Parliament Station to East Richmond then a 5 minute walk, so it worked out to be a very convenient post-work dinner location. 

K was pleasantly surprised to see the joint half-empty as she noted that waiting for a table would be the norm. Well I guess that is the perk of getting there early :D

The decor of Fonda was casual with pops of colour provided by the chairs and the rather impressive chandelier hanging from above. 

After been given menus, I allowed K to make the selections, I would have been happy even if we only had the chips. 

Charred Corn with Chipotle ailoi, ricotta salata and lime $3.5 each

For someone like me who likes all things tangy, the ricotta and chipotle aioli was heaven. It paired well with the sweetness of corn, but I must admit I am still clumsy as when it comes to eating corn on a cob, K does it in a much more dignified and graceful manner. The only other occasion that I can recall eating a similar item was at Mamasita almost two years ago, given that I have little recollection of that experience, this probably beats the latter version, hands down. 

Before we could finish the corn, the chips arrived almost simultaneously with our drinks, Sauv Blanc for K and Horchata for me. Because K can handle alcohol better and I wanted a drink with the stripey straws. 

Fat chips with chipotle aioli $6

Picture crispy, hot, fat chips, seasoned generously with salt crystals and then doused with tangy chipotle sauce. Yum, that is all. 

Horchata $4.5 (yay for stripey straw :) )

Chopped beef burrito $14

Cross-section of the burrito: beef and prok burger, black beans, salsa roja and chipotle aioli

The Horchata (to me it tasted like asian almond milk sans the almond flavour) came in handy when our main item arrived in the form of a beef burrito. The wrap was soft and chewy, its contents incredibly hearty. K informed me that the crispy texture of the filling were provided by crushed pieces of corn chips, which was a nice compliment to the beef, black beans, salad and quinoa. The only criticism I have is just how juicy this wrap was, and by the end of the meal my plate was mountain high with used paper napkins. Then again, this could also be attributed to my poor burrito-eating skills. 

We left Fonda just as the usual dinner queue started to form and a couple first in line was glad to see us vacate our table. I checked my watch and realised it was only half past 6. This was definitely an efficient but satisfying after-work dinner. 

I will definitely have to visit Fonda again for the chips and to try other items on the menu. If anything, the fact that they can provide me with an opportunity to practice eating corn-on-a-cob or burritos in a dignified manner amounts to sufficient reason for a second visit. 

Fonda Mexican
248 Swan St
Richmond 3121
Ph (03) 9429 0085

Website

Heavenly Thailicious

I love RDOs, even if I take half day ones, even if I had to raincheck my half day RDOs, they are still so awesome because you get paid to take time off work to shop/brunch/ do what ever you please. It brings about mixed emotions: of bliss from the freedom coupled with guilt of leaving the office for lunch and heading straight home.

Walking down Swanston St this afternoon in the wintery spring weather made me miss uni days a little - but enough with feelings of melancholy, shall we get onto food talk ;)

Before we backtrack to last weekend I want to quickly mention this gem of a joint that was opened earlier this year at the north end of Exhibition Street. 

Thailicious is located next door to the Mantra Hotel, diagonally across from the Carlton gardens. I stumbled across this eatery earlier this year after the grad in the office came back with a happy smile and a cute cartoon-adorned menu after having a lunchtime date there with her bf.

I have my reservations for newly opened joints with too much cuteness involved in designing the decor/menu etc, so I didn't go in expecting much more than foodcourt level Thai cuisine

Well in this instance, a picture is worth a thousand words so let them speak for themselves:

Crispy pork stir fried with vegetables, chilli and basil leaves 

Deep fried coconut ice cream with maple syrup

The pork was crispy without being oily, the sauce that coated the meat and vegies was just popping with flavour. I am especially fond of the texture of the bamboo shoots in the stir fry, if only I knew where to source them I would totally buy some for home cooking use. The ice cream contains pieces of young coconut jelly, which adds another layer of texture and flavour. The ice cream itself is not overly sweet nor is it heavy. Yum, yum, yum

Today we revisited Thailicious for Friday "eat-out/pig-out" lunch.

Chicken stir fried with cashew and vegetables, Crispy pork stir fried with chilli, vegetables and basil leaves

Red Duck Curry

Again, the crispy pork was so delicious. The batter that coated the chicken was slightly starchy, but the cashew nuts complimented with the sweet and spicy sauce well. The Duck Curry was average by my standards, but then again I am no curry pro and do not possess the ability of determining what exactly constitutes a great curry. 

Overall the service is fast and efficient, the girls are very accommodating and attentive. Although the price is a little bit dearer than your average $10-a-meal Asian joint, if you go with a larger group and order a few mains to share, you will definitely get your money's worth of thailicious goodness ;)

Thailicious
355 Exhibition St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph (03) 9639 1888

hello my dearies

Long time no see! Even though I haven't posted in nearly 12months, it doesn't meant I haven't thought of you everytime I visited a cafe, poked open a poached egg or munched on parmesan-encrusted polenta. Oh  I thought of you when I took five pictures of the same dish, imagining one of them ending up on these pages several hours later.

Soy Latte from The Foodrinkery

Long story short, life got busy and I got lazy. 

Shan't happen no more,  oh yes I shall keep this going, a food diary of some sorts, adding more narrative than whatever instagram is capable of handling. 

There is so much to update you on but I guess this week could be a good place to start.

Since I made sure that this year was the year that I started all things new, I have been frequenting my local gym for almost 2 months. Ever since then I have self-educated myself (through means such as friends, youtube and fitblrs) the importance of eating clean, which has resulted in a significant decline of buying work lunches and a great spike in consumption of raw carrot sticks and hummus. 

Nevertheless, I still need days to "let off steam" and have a "cheat day" here and there, which consists of eating out and not exercising. It's worked out well I guess I savour those meals more and I am doing something great for my body also. I cannot declare that I have that great biniki body, but I am still working towards it. 

So this week's cheat meals consisted of the below:

1. KBBQ at Changgo

T from work has been heckling for sometime to take her out to KBBQ and further her 'fooducation'. After much rescheduling, we finally made it happen at Changgo. I tried so many times to call for a booking using the mobile number but to no avail. D being the helpful and obliging person she is, volunteered to pop by and make a booking in person. I can't thank her enough for doing so as the queue was out the door when we reached Changgo at 6.30 on Friday night.
Here are some reasons why this place is so damn hot right now

Sunrise rice wine

After all the food we were bursting at the seams and was super surprised that the bill only came at $21 pp. 

NOTE: D confirmed that there is actually no number you can call and book on (heaven knows who's mobile myself and half of Melbourne have been leaving numerous missed calls on)  so it's best to head over in person to book and make sure you don't have to wait in the KBBQ smog for a table

2. Saturday brunch with C at The Foodrinkery

C was away from work for a few days of annual leave so it was great to catch up on the goss before we were due to meet in the office kitchen next Monday morning. 

I have been to The Foodrinkery on one previous occasion and was pleasantly surprised by the affordability of their menu. After these few years of weekend brunching, I have grown increasingly accustomed paying $20-25 for a meal and a coffee. you could almost manage this with $15 at The Foodrinkery if you play your cards right.

After much deliberation, I decide to go for the somewhat healthy option of smashed avocado, ricotta and poached eggs on toast, while C went for the croque monsieur topped with fresh avocado

So pretty and with flavours to match. C's Croque Monsieur was actually supposed to be madame topped with a poached egg, but her dislike for poached protein and runny yolks have led to the magnificent discovery of just how well avocado goes with melted cheese and ham goodness. Yum. 

With conversation flowing we had to end things on a sweet note. After taking turns going up to the counter and surveying the options on display, we decided to share a chocolate cupcake and raspberry yoyo.

The cake was more dense than we had expected to be, whilst the flavours were nice and chocolatey it was almost too stodgy for me to finish. The yoyo on the other hand was beautifully buttery and the tang in the raspberry filling made me almost want to go for another. 

As The Foodrinkery is located almost half way between our homes, C and I are looking forward to making this little hidden gem our regular catchup spot. 

3. Girls' brunch - Breakfast Thieves

In recent months, I am finding myself spending a increase amount of time and petrol travelling to Fitzroy in search of scrumptious brunch food and hip hangout spots. I find I am also increasingly trying to dress the part (ie maxi skirts, chunky knits, pale denim shirts)
That aside, F messaged me late last night asking if I wanted to join her and a few other girls for brunch at Breakfast Thieves. I couldn't reply fast enough as I have been wanting to try this place for some time now. The concept of naming dishes after famous criminals was new and the pictures from urbanspoon looked promising.

The interior was a good balance of hip and homeliness, the waiters were hip but helpful. 

The Leprechaun

The food was good but the portions were so gigantic that the wow-factor wore off before I could finish the entire plate. In true girls brunch fashion, we spent the first few minutes of our meal exchanging elements of our own plate with each other, taking some time to evaluate the different flavours of each dish. I must admit I immediately developed food envy for D's Asian influenced dish Botak Chin. The pork was cooked to perfection, melting slightly in the mouth. 

Although the dishes were slightly expensive ($16-$20), the coffee was made to my liking and I will definitely be back to order the above mentioned Asian baddie.  

Hurray for good weekend weather. Since commencing full time work I have noticed just how often sunny days occur on week days as opposed to weekends, I guess that's Melbourne for ya 
 My best foodie buddy Miss S had recently celebrated her 22nd, I declared it is only fitting that we concluded her birthday week with a Sunday brunch. 

Destination: Three Bags Full. Our previous attempt in having brunch here ended in failure as limited offstreet parking and a bustling cafe clearly don't mix well. Also given the previous occasion was a rather miserable winter morning, neither of us were willing to put our name down on the waiting list. This time we arrived earlier a bit before 11am, which by my standards is far too early for any type of meal on a Sunday morning, but early enough to ensure avoidance of the usual brunch rush hour.

Even though we were lucky enough to score a parking spot (courtesy of miss s's awesome parallel parking skills) there was still a waiting list for a table and it took 10-15 minutes before my name was called out an we were led to a table close to the door. Miss S was rather impressed with the internal decor and I also secretly gave the cafe extra brownie points for the beautiful vase of dogwood propped against the wooden back wall.

I have heard many good things about the coffee at Three Bags Full, but their juices sounded so nice I had to order the pear, apple, lime and mint combination

What can I say, this concoction beats all juices hands down, (okay maybe all juices minus that crazily good place on Elizabeth Street, hint:bags of oranges everywhere). It was sweet and fruity yet the tangy sour aftertaste left the juice well-balanced, the hint of mint complements the pear and apple very well, If only i lived closer, this would for sure be my hangover cure, any day.

On to the menu, we were both keen to steer away from the 2eggs/salmon/other fancy shmancy cured protein/greens of some sort on toast section. Instead we settled for one savoury and one sweet plate to share. 

                                                Beetroot cured salmon, corn, pea + fetta fritter, avocado, rocket + dill sour cream



First up, the beetroot cured salmon, corn, pea + fetta fritter, avocado, rocket + dill sour cream came looking absolutely stunning. I am not a BIG fan of beetroot, but the salmon, despite being dyed deep blood red by the vegetable had little resemblance in taste and still very much tasted like, well salty salmon. My previous experience with cafe-served fritters were back at Amici Bakery Cafe some months back, and this version is definitely better than theirs. the fritters were fluffy and not over cooked, the avocado and dill sour cream tied all components together.

Now isn't that a good-looking piece of salmon ;) 

                                               Sticky black ginger bread, Vanilla bean mascarpone, candied cumquats + pistachio

I had been looking forward to the sticky black ginger bread for some time now and I could feel the excitement in my fingers as I cut through the dense cake that was heavily doused in syrup and candied cumquats. The ginger flavour was intense and fragrant and the cumquat and marscapone did a good job of complementing the richness of the bread itself, it was absolutely devine. When they mention it is black and sticky, it sure was black and sticky, VERY VERY STICKY. We both had a good workout afterwards of trying to discreetly but effectively remove the residual ginger bread that clung stubbornly to the back of our molars. 

Three bags full will be on my revisit list for sure, given that I still tend to dream about their delicious fresh juice here and there and there is still the coffee waiting for me to try. The forthcoming warm weather will definitely make waiting outside for a table more bearable.

On a side note, look what we found afterwards while on a weekly grocery trip to Box Hill. 

Epic conjoined strawberries! 

The below post was drafted a few days ago when I was caught up in the terrible rain and thunderstorm on my commute home: 

Don't you hate those rainy/windy/thunderstormy days when your already much-limited luck with the Melbourne public transport runs out and you find yourself running at full speed towards the station after work ignoring the fact that your shoes have been soaked right through, only to find your service has been delayed by 30minutes.. It's beyond disbelief and a few loud rounds of F-words may not resolve your issues, so I sit here drafting the latest blog entry, trying to distract myself from the unpleasant sensation between my toes and flats.

So recently I had a blissful RDO on a Friday and decided to make the most of it by heading to a cafe for brunch and hopefully knock off the first few chapters of my newly arrived CFA curiculum. 

Usually by default I would head to my beloved Snowpony for a latte and lemonade scones but maybe because the weather was rather delightful and i was feeling cheery in my newly acquired rather "hip" floor-lenght floral skirt I decided to venture out to Moka Pot Cafe on Doncaster road. I have been in search for a new local brunch spot that i could frequent, Snowpony was still good but I thought surely it would not hurt if I could expand my repertoire a little. 

So with this in mind, i arrived at Moka Pot Cafe, conveniently located in a strip of shops complete with parking an all. Stepping into the large spacious venue i immediately realised that i have come to the wrong place to study. Dispite selecting a rather secluded corner table, the seats to my right were soon occupied by 3 oldies and then followed by 3mums to my left each with an infant in tow. Needless to say i instantly abandoned my plans to study and decided to instead focus my attention on the menu.

Most of the items were standard cafe food and nothing really jumped out at me. I know I have a tendency to be indecisive and end up making a choice just as the waiteress arrives to take my order. 

The juice menu was enticing enough for me to opt for it in lieu of my usual soy latte. It arrived promptly looking quite promising, however one sip of it made me question whether my taste buds were functioning. Picture a fruit juice with all fructose removed from it and all that was left was water with a tinge of fruit feel to it. Or picture poor quality, flavourless coconut water. Whichever is easier.

The muffin was well flavoured given the ample amount of bacon it was sandwiching, however over all the muffin was dry and the spinach failed to enhance the flavour of the otherwise very much your average breakfast muffin.

I dont know why i ended up ordering this as it is clearly not an item to base judgements of a cafe on but maybe i was not satisftied by my cravings for chips at tank the previous day I decided to pig out on a whole bowl of wedges. Why oh why...they were okay nothing wrong with dencent wedges but the quantity was too gianormous that resulted in having to awkwardly request takeaway for the wedges I could not finish.

By this stage the mothers (young and old) on each side of me were having conversations at a volume that made focusing on reading facebook status updates on my phone difficult so I decided to declare this foodie adventure over and prematurely retired to my house. 

On my way to the counter to pay for the bill i did catch a glimpse of the array of sweets and cakes they had on offer and i must say they looked quite delightful. Going forward i will be sticking to my Mcpony's and grapefruit juice that comes in a medicine bottle but I won't fully rule out moka pot and their yummy-looking desserts. Just going to steer clear of the muffin and fruit juice, oh yes I will.

I am a real sucker for hype. Especially when it comes to foodie hypes, I tend to hype about hypes. Sometimes it can get out of control, making the actual foodie experience disappointingly underwhelming. When you allow your imagination to run amok, feeding off from various reviews and Urbanspoon ravings, it can sometimes get a bit out of hand. 

I had ample advice about Chin Chin before finally experiencing the hype last Saturday night. Most food blogs I follow generally gave thumbs up to this new Flinders Lane haunt, but speaking to friends and colleagues about my excitement in trying Chin Chin, I was advised not to expect too much of a WOW factor from the establishment.

Thus rocking up a little before 7pm on a Saturday night, I was somewhat glad that the infamous queue was more or less non-existent and I had no difficulty in locating 2 seats at the bar for myself and my friend.

The atmosphere was relaxed and bubbly filled to the brim with conversation, I felt somewhat out of place while I sat silently waiting for B….and took a few hipstamatics with my phone to kill time.

From the extensive drink list I decided to order the coconut ice which has a different flavour added to the concoction every night. Mine arrived scented heavily with apple and mint.

Coconut Ice of the Day - with Apple syrup and Mint 

 B rocked up 30minutes later, by when I had already settled comfortably at the bar, gazing lazily at the bartenders prepare cocktails and occasionally show off their throwing skills by sending empty coconut ice containers through the air from one end of the bar to the other. B decides to

be a copycat and order the same drink as we poured over the menu

spicy eggnet omlette rolls with spanner crab & chilli jam  ($12.00)

 The egg nets arrived shortly after B’s coconut ice. It was a fascinating thing to look at, and an even more fascinating thing to taste. The dry crispy egg casing contrasted brilliantly against the fresh and flavoursome spanner crab salad.

Chicken wings ($12.00)

The chicken wings were probably the WOW dish of the evening. I honestly believed that

B did a shitty job with his order and had no expectations what so ever for them, but they were
absolutely delish when they arrived. Crispy on the outside and uttermost tender and juicy on the
inside. The flavours made me reminiscence the fried chicken sold on the side of the road in
chinese cities, the type that is highly likely to cause one form of food poisoning or another.

Salt & pepper crusted soft shell crab with green papaya salad & Nahm jim ($23.00)

 The service was fast and efficient at Chin Chin and even though it was full house the entire time we were there, the remaining two dishes arrived shortly after we got our hands dirty with the

yummy wings. 

 B’s baby crab, so cute but B ain’t showing any mercy...nomnomnnomm...

Caramelised sticky pork with siamese water cress ($24.00)

The sticky pork was tender and the flavours were well balanced between sweet and

sour. The salad component (I assume it was the siamese water cress) that gave such an

intense hit of sudden spiciness that made both B and I simultaneously grabbed our glasses of 
water. 

Happy Happy Joy Joy indeed :)

There were plenty of items on the menu that would lure me back for a second visit in the near

future. As for the hype surrounding this new foodie destination in Flinders Lane, I think it should

shift some of the limelight towards the awesome dining atmosphere that Chris Lucas has managed to create in this establishment. The food is more than decent, the atmosphere is fun, an after work drinks/dinner visit is going to be on my agenda. 

125 Flinders Lane 

Melbourne, 3000(03) 8663 2000
www.chinchinrestaurant.com.au