Balkh Bakery & Charcoal Kebab, Dandenong, Melbourne

Our friends mentioned Afghan food which they had stumbled upon previously and enjoyed in Dandenong where they occasionally do their marketing. They brought us down one evening to see how we liked Balkh Baker & Charcoal Kebab (256-258 Thomas Street, Dandenong, Melbourne, tel : +61 3 9794 5558).

The restaurant baked their own bread and from what I was told, that bread was made fresh on service. The portions above were a single serving. While it took a while to arrive, it was also worth the wait. One could taste the freshness in and underneath the crispy surface. Made a great vehicle for their charcoal grilled meats too.

One of the things they did at their grill was charcoal chicken. It was competent but it wasn't as impressive as their kebabs.

Their shish kebabs - which was pretty much what everyone else were also having were awesome. We had a mixed plate. The chicken ones were possibly the best I've had anywhere. Their spice mix was great flavouring but I thought being juicy and hot off the grill helped do the trick as well. This was some expert level kebab grilling here. I liked their lamb shish over the lamb koobideh. 

There was a rice dish on their menu which I later learnt was their rendition of the Afghan Kabuli palaw - a pilaf with sweet carrots and deliciously plump raisins. There was definitely some grease in the rice which I suspected but was unable to confirm were from the drippings of their meats. Delicious.

Hellenic Republic, Kew, Melbourne

It was only after we had gotten our food that I realized that the restaurant (26 Cotham Road, Kew, Melbourne, tel : +61 3 9207 7477) was owned by a George Calombaris - an Australian chef of Greek heritage that's a judge in Masterchef Australia and a character of some repute, some of which controversial.

Anyways, we were here for their showcase of Greek food which I heard is good in Australia. Melbourne I read, is home to one of the largest Greek diaspora communities in the world as well as being the city with the largest Greek-speaking population outside Greece. These have got to count for something with their cuisine here. No?

We started with some lamb manti with mint yoghurt and what might have been chilli oil. The stuffings in the dumplings tasted like lamb sausages. Pretty tasty.

I thought their spanakopita was delicious with the crisp paper thin filo pastry crust. There was a good balance between the stuffings of vegetables and feta cheese 

And then a saganaki - grilled Kefalograviera (which is very much like halloumi) that was topped with some peppered figs that provided a bit of spice and citrus sweetness.

Our celebration of the beast were a combination of spit roasted chicken and slow roasted shoulder of lamb. The former was all dark meat which I liked. Lamb was delicious with sweet caramelized char.

These might look like brains but they're actually roasted cauliflower with buttermilk tahini. The dark parts were the char on the cauliflower from the roast and not cancerous brain cells. For a little while, I had found the nutty creaminess a little confusing with the cauliflower.

The Barn Owl Cafe, Silvan, Melbourne

We were on the way to Yarra Valley for a wine tasting day trip and stopped by The Barn Owl (1 Parker Rd, Silvan, tel : +61 3 9737 9546) along the drive for some breakfast.

Cappuccino was okay. They dusted the weak foam with sweetened chocolate powder instead of powdered cocoa.

This was their Wolffy muffin with grilled halloumi cheese on the side. I liked that they used back bacon instead of the streaky ones. As a muffin, it wasn't as satisfying as the Mighty McMuffin.

What I found interesting was their chilli scramble. Scrambled eggs on croissant with chilli. Those cut red chillis were actually pickled - much like the pickled green chilli back home. 

Berwick Kebab, Berwick, Melbourne

We got some kebab/HSP this trip as well. This one was from Berwick Kebab (3/248 Clyde Road, Berwick, Melbourne, tel : +61 3 9702 2502).

While it satiated a craving, it didn't seem to be as enjoyable as the last one from Wot A Kebab which we though did a better job saucing up their meats. This pack also had relatively little cheese and chips.

Mighty McMuffin from McD in Australia

This was a quick first bite after we landed from a McD drive through down under. We were initially just trying to get some coffee, the name caught my attention and we somehow ended up with one. This mighty rendition appeared to be just a McMuffin with real bacon. I haven't had real bacon from McD back home for as along as I could remember. Then I realized that sausage patties here were made with beef too. I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoyed that sandwich of saturated fat and sodium.

Colonial Club, Changi Airport Terminal 3

We were checking in early for our flight and decided to eat at the Colonial Club (#03-33 Changi Airport Terminal 3, 65 Airport Boulevard, +65 6214 0268). I'm not sure how much locals this place attracts but quite obviously, it's set up to get the attention of tourists with all the Hainanese/Peranakan/Colonial heritage that they're painting on the menu.

The menu looked interesting that we were spoilt for choice. We ended up with their garlic chicken rice which was the chicken rice that one doesn't find outside.  

The fried chicken was competent with crisp skin. But it wasn't an outstanding one. Meat was a little dry. Those garlic chips were a little sweet. Their chilli was infused with garlic and some citrus; wasn't bad but also not exactly impressive. The elements of the dish felt like it was on the verge of being memorable but not quite getting there. Like their rice which I enjoyed but still couldn't help shake the feeling that something was amiss with the flavour. An edge that wasn't quite there.

Got curious about their roti ayam - which translates into chicken bread. I don't know what were the origins of this since I've never had or even heard of something like this. It was basically French toast stuffed with minced chicken with mayo and bits of chilli. I liked it better than I thought I would.