ABOUT GFGM

gastronomy
ɡaˈstrɒnəmi/
noun
  1. the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food.



Good Food, Good Mood was established after I realised how often I was asking myself the difficult question of "Where and what should we eat today?". The Melbourne food scene truly makes us spoilt for choice, so I am hoping my honest reviews can act as a guide for any occasion - from cheap eats to fine dining, to burgers and pizza on cheat days, to fresh and healthy on cutting days. Recommendations on places to try and review are always welcome, just leave a comment.

All photos are taken with my Samsung Note 4 or Sony NEX-F3 unless stated otherwise. Thanks for dropping by!

- Lisa Pizza xo


P.S. Shoutout to my friends and family who dine with me - thanks for not picking up your cutlery when the food comes out so I can take all my food photos... y'all know my camera eats first haha.

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

Koba K-BBQ on Urbanspoon



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: $$$$


Cookie on Urbanspoon'



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?