Gelato Messina

Gelato Mesina

Address: 237 Smith Street Fitzroy

Contact: 90175470

Hours: Everyday 12pm - 11pm

Price: $$

Website: http://www.gelatomessina.com/

Alas! Summer is FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!! We're three days in and I love the notion of leaving the house without wearing layers and layers. Summer is definitely my favourite time of the year - a time to tan on the beach, a time to spend with loved ones during the festive season, a time to party and a new & exciting year beckoning. 

Today the best friend and I paid Gelato Messina a visit! We were planning to go on the day of the Johnston Street Spanish Fiesta but the line was ridiculously long. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

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Gelato Messina actually originated from Sydney, where they have four stores. Messina finally graced Melbourne with their cakes and gelatos... something to definitely rave on and on about. It's situated on Smith Street meaning it's not hard to get to, and remember it's CASH ONLY! 

Feast your eyes on massive scoops of deliciousness! The texture was so smooth and the flavours were authentic and powerful because everything is made from scratch in their icecream labs. 

Can I have the whole bucket please? :P

Left: Messy Juliette - Strawberry gelato with whipped cream and Marsala soaked sponge

Right: Bounty

Juliette is actually one of their Strawberry sponge cakes (which they have creatively made into a gelato)! I was so close to ordering Pandan and Coconut but luckily the employee let me try the Messy Juliette because it was x10 better!!! The flavour combinations and chunky bits when you bite into it was divine. As soon as I took my first bite, I instantly knew why people would wait and line up outside the store. I would definitely go back and buy a tub of it for home. 

Koba K-BBQ

Koba K-BBQ

Address: 119 Hardware Street Melbourne Vic

Contact: via Facebook

Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30-4:30

Price: Under $10

Website: http://kobakbbq.com.au/

It's been a while since I've posted a cheap eats restaurant so I am proud to introduce Koba K-BBQ to my loyal readers! Located across from the well known brunch place 'The Hardware Societe', Koba K-BBQ has nestled themselves in the heart of the CBD where city dwellers are on the look out for a quick and delicious feed. I work in the city myself so I know how expensive eating out can be, especially when "forgetting to pack your lunch" becomes a regular thing. Koba offers affordable prices for tacos, burritos and rice dishes but that doesn't mean they're cutting on quality, flavour and hospitality. 

The twist?? Koba has incorporated two of my favourite cuisines - KOREAN AND MEXICAN. Yes, you heard correctly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Korexican! The meats are prepared with a Korean tasting marinade and they also have kimchi! Who would have guessed that the combination went so well together? :)

On the menu: tacos, burritos and rice dishes all for under $10!!!!!!! 

The fillings include beef, chicken, spicy pork or tofu for all the vegetarians out there.

The creative business is run by Rosa and her brother, two humble and warm people! Thank you for your hospitality :) I hope you guys have a lot of success in your new & awesome business venture.

Jny and I ordered spicy pork tacos, mine with BBQ sauce and hers with Sriracha (chilli sauce). The flavours were not overpowering and actually went really well together. The spicy pork wasn't actually that spicy (coming from me, Miss I can't eat Chilli). 

 WHY AM I SO BAD AT TAKING BIRDS EYE VIEW PHOTOS? Is there a trick to make it look better without being blurry and nervous?

Look at that juicy taco!!! Put down those monotonous wraps or unhealthy fast food meals and opt for these fusion goodies. They even have delicious Korean grape juice 봉봉 which I'm pretty sure is pronounced "bon bon". Koba K-BBQ isn't difficult to get to... it's located on Hardware Street (near Queen and Little Londsdale Street) so don't be lazy and give it a try. 

Cookie

Cookie

Address: Level 1, 252 Swanston Street Melbourne

Contact: 9663 7660

Hours: Sun-Thurs 12pm - 1am, Fri - Sat 12pm - 3pm

Price: $$$$

Website: http://cookie.net.au/

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Hello readers!!! What do you think of the image above? I'm trying to make my blog a little more interesting by adding typography to my photos. I don't know much about using programs to edit photos but would love to do anything if it doesn't involve studying. Exam are around the corner and I am beyond stressed! 

 

There is one word that I love more than 'fine dining' and that is the word 'FREE'. My team won an RNR at work and used that opportunity to spend time (and our hard earned cash prize) at Cookie. I had never been there before and have heard good reviews about it, so I was very excited to try it out :)

Fortunately it was a gorgeous, sunny day that day so I had a cheeky cider. I don't enjoy pear or apple cider so I opted for Bulmer's blackcurrent. Delish!

Chili Squid with Rocket and Sweet Chilli - Small $14.50 (pictured), Large $21.50

There were roughly 12 people dining so we ordered a banquet so everyone had a piece of everything. This was a group favourite.

Grilled Thai Sausage with ginger, cucumber and chilli $14.50

I did not enjoy this at all... firstly because ginger is not in my good food books and secondly because it's so boring. I could probably make this at home if I really wanted to.

Pork Spare Ribs marinated with roasted chili and soy $23.50

One of my colleagues said that the ribs were AMAZING but unfortunately this time around it was extremely dry!!! What a shame. It wasn't spicy (despite the big chilli pieces pictured above). Hopefully if you're going to pay a visit then this dish isn't dry for you. I usually envision ribs to be juicy, tender and dripping in sauce but this was quiet the opposite.

Stir Fried pork belly with red curry, green peppercorns, kaffir lime and green beans - $25.50

Pork belly is usually one of my favourite things to eat but this one wasn't a personal favourite of mine. 

It was delicious but the combination of greens was not compelling to me. It is a bit overpriced for what it's worth but if you're a sucker for pork belly and want to try, go ahead! 

Coconut yellow curry with steamed egg and pork $22.00

Personal favourite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The curry had such a rich texture but wasn't sickening. The pork was cooked to perfection and melted in your mouth as soon as you took a bite. I would DEFINITELY recommend this curry to you all. I was very impressed. The portion is ideal for 2-3 people depending on how many dishes you order. Looking at the photo makes me salivate and want to go back to Cookie just to eat this again. 

♡ DESSERTS ♡

Tapioca & Sweet corn pudding with mango ice cream $11.50 

Each colleague (who had space in their belly) ordered a dessert after our feast. This was the one I ordered and let me tell you now... it was AMAZING. It tasted exactly how mum would make it. I loved how the warm pudding complimented the cold ice cream.

Basil and Lime panna cotta with strawberries $13.50

One of my colleagues ordered this dish and could not eat the strawberries or the syrup because the alcoholic flavouring was so overpowering and strong. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of cheeky alcohol in my food but the smell of vodka or whatever they used really pulled the nostrils in a bad way.

Tirami su' $13.50

Sorry to take a photo of a half eaten tiramisu but you get the idea! I had a bite and it was pretty basic.

Banana Fritters with honey and coconut ice cream $13.50

Fried banana is always a winner, especially with honey dipping sauce and coconut ice cream. Although the combination can sound tooooo sweet, it actually wasn't!

Pandan sticky rice, pumpkin custard and and coconut ice cream $12.50

Ummmmm yum! Look how good that scoop of ice cream looks!!!!!!! I love pandan (chiffon cake, icecream, macarons etc) so when I took a bite out of this, it was divine. Compare this to the tiramisu and you will understand.

Thank you for your hospitality to the staff at Cookie - especially when dealing with such a large crowd. I know I'll definitely be back to pay a visit to try other things. They have outdoor seating for two outside which looks quiet nice, especially on a warm day. There isn't a view but at least you get to soak in the sun.


HOW DO I GET THERE?

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie

Address: 12-14 Claremont Street South Yarra 3141

Contact: -

Hours: Everyday 7am - sold out

Price: $$

Website: http://adrianozumbo.com/

Adriano Zumbo... as seen on Masterchef. Talented, unique... and probably a bit crazy. The image above is Zumbo himself with one of his more popular creations... the V8 vanilla cake (there are 8 different vanilla layers, hence the name). I have a lot of respect for Adriano Zumbo and how far he has gone, especially when dealing with a competitive food industry. Many people say that Zumbo and the "Zumbarons" are 'overrated' and a 'sell out', especially when he released DIY Zumbo packs to try and home. I think these individuals should stop being so cynical and embrace the household name :)

Zumbo Patisserie opened to the public on October the 9th and my good friend Jenny and I just HAD to be there to witness the magic in Melbourne!!! We got there around 2pm and everything was WIPED OUT except for the Zumbarons. We missed out on the cronuts or the assorted cakes which was a bit of a shame. Apparently people were lining up at 5am! Talk about keen...

The line......................... fortunately it didn't wrap around and end up outside of the actual store. It was about a 20-25 minute wait to be served. Felt so sorry for the employees! They would have been so stressed out on their first day. The customer service could be improved on, and the presentation of the macaron placement could be a bit better also. La Belle Miette have this down pat. Unfortunately there is no information / location details of the Melbourne store on the Adriano Zumbo Website (as of yet) which is a bit disappointing. This is the same as Zara!! We have so many Zara stores in Melbourne but we're not even listed on their website. Give Australia (or Melbourne) some credit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once Ladurée opens in Melbourne... our dessert destinations will be complete ♡

Zumbarons! The flavours are as follows:

Almond and Pear,
Passionfruit,
Salted Butter Caramel on Toast,
Pecan Danish,
Pistachio and sesame,
Blackcurrant,
Caramalised Banana and Balsamic Vinegar,
Lychee and Coconut,
Pineapple,
Sticky Date,
Salted Butter Popcorn and many other flavours I don't remember.

 Instagram: @badasiandriver

This one was disgusting... caramalised banana with balsamic vinegar.

NSHRY

On the rare occasion that Melbourne blesses us with gorgeous, sunny weather, I grasp the opportunity and bask in the sun while I can. What better way to do that then at NSHRY? Pronounced 'NOSHERRY', this beachfront restaurant was listed 3rd in the Burger Adventure's Top 10 Burgers of 2012. 

For the first time in nine weeks, I didn't have work at 8am on a Wednesday which allowed me to visit NSHRY without stress. It's located 10 minutes from the CBD and there is parking across the road which isn't a strenuous walk. I found parking for four hours on Beaconsfield Parade (and it had no meter, score)!

I ordered a chai latte instead of a cold drip coffee because it was sooooo windy despite the sun. Eventually the sun hid behind the clouds again (but fortunately came back out when the food arrived, making the photos look super good).

The view of the pier from the outdoor seating area. I didn't even have to zoom in a lot because we were THAT close to the beach. It took a while for our order to be processed as the waitresses were not proactive enough. Don't get me wrong, she was very friendly but not aware of her customer surroundings. I've read on several Urbanspoon reviews that this is the case with the service anyway, so I wasn't expecting glamour hospitality. The mains are available after midday (12pm) and breakfast is served until 3pm which is pretty awesome.

 Soft Shell Crab Burger with pineapple chili $22

In my honest opinion, $22 is extremely dear for a burger. You can buy two of them at Huxtaburger or other popular burger joints. The size of it was TINY and you can tell by the colour of the chips that the oil was old... gross. I was going to order the Umami burger (which is what NSHRY is renown for) but decided against it because soft shell crab > everything. The soft shell crab was a bit too salty and left me thirsty for hours. The pineapple chilli really complimented the crab and wasn't spicy at all.

What I did like about the meal was that there was three dipping sauces - aioli, tomato and sweet chilli. I like eating my hot chips with dipping sauce, my favourite being onion chutney at Mocha Jo's.

 Pork Belly Burger $22

Unfortunately this was not crackling pork belly but regardless, Jny was given a huge piece of juicy pork!!! We asked for our burgers to be cut in half so that we could have the best of both crab and pork worlds - smart thinking. The pork itself was nicely cooked and soft as soon as you took a bite. I am going to comment again on HOW SMALL THE SIZE IS. I might be a girl but I have a pretty big appetite so when it came out, I was so disappointed considering the "traditional" size of burgers that other places offer. Size matters haha just kidding.

The weather was so beautiful so I didn't really mind that it was a 30-40 minute wait for our burgers..... I am a very impatient person when it comes to waiting for food and I wouldn't really say that the wait was worth it, but you should definitely try it out as the weather gets warmer. Not many places serve decent brunch meals on the beach front. Did I forget to mention that they also have PHO??????????? Pho is vietnamese beef noodle soup and can be found in Vietnamese restaurants for $8-$10 a bowl. NSHRY sells it for $19 which I am a bit skeptical about but will definitely try one day. I'm assuming they are trying to target the western crowd so I was not sold.

 Coffee syphon! I took it from the outside because I didn't see it until I walked out. 

Technically this is the front of the restaurant (as this side is facing the road) but the entrance is near the sand. They have no bathroom so be prepared to use the public toilet if you're like me and anal about where you do your nature calls. I would recommend NSHRY when Melbourne gets a little bit hotter as the wind really ruined my experience and I didn't want to sit inside when it was such a nice Spring day.

NSHRY

Address: 129a Beaconsfield Parade Albert Park 3206

Contact: 96821077

Hours: Closed Mondays, Open Tues-Sun 8am-4pm

Price: $$$ - all under $25

Website: http://www.nshry.com.au/

HOW TO GET THERE: