Bopha Devi, Docklands

Aha! Finally new month to look forward to. Can you believe we're caught the mid year bug already? So much for the world ending in 2012... *touches wood*
Apart from starting my examinlametions tomorrow, I highly anticipate being able to try many new and exciting places during these upcoming holidays. All the places have been listed in this trusty Marbig food diary, so keep an eye out as I will be updating v. v. v. frequently :-)

Today I will be sharing my lovely experience at Bopha Devi, located in Docklands. If you're looking for something refreshing and largely portioned, this is your safest bet. Expect high prices but you get your moneys worth because the food is delish! I do not eat Cambodian often (although I should because half of my roots is from that country) but Bopha Devi in Docklands is cosy, warm and has wonderful presentation in terms of the food. There is one located in Yarraville but it is A LOT smaller and the menu is slightly different which was really annoying when I was ordering on Saturday night. I guess it's always good to try something new every now and then.

The main reason why we went there was because it was my beautiful fwend's 20th birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A big, sloppy kiss and happy birthday to Joanne!!! You can find her here; she doesn't blog ver often, but when she does it is definitely worth reading. Pictured below are the three gorgeous J's with their fried rice, tofu curry and chicken rice salad.

The fry rye (pictured above, no. 30 on the menu) was definitely a winner. I don't really like vermicelli when it's not in watery/soupy substances. So the picture below was a bit bland for me. The fry rye had all the right ingredients, cabbage, carrots, chicken, bean shoots and egg. As if the sound of these put together isn't enticing enough! The service was fast as well, considering we had around 20 people seated for Jo's and the rest of Bopha Devi was full house! That's always a good thing to look out for when you're in a restaurant, try to check their ratings before you go. I remember having to wait for an hour at a uni restaurant, only to find out that they completely f*ed up our order! Never going back there again (*cough* eagle bar in Latrobe). 

As you can tell from the nicer quality of my photos, I have gotten my trusty camera fixed (luckily within a mere two weeks, tyvm Canon!!!). I'm so happy that I don't have to take photos on my iPhone anymore! But this really only means that I'm back on board of the 'asians constantly taking photos of their food' bandwagon! Woooohoooo! I ain't got nothing to be ashamed of... apart from my bulging appetite and constant cravings for food.  P.S happy birthday Joanne!!!

Spiga

Cheap eat alert! Cheap eat alert! 

I have been to Spiga on numerous occasions now, and the waiters are lovely and the location is superb, hence why it gives me a good reason to go back. It's probably one of the best cafes in Melbourne Central (Menzies Alley near the Elizabeth Street entrance), offering fairly big portioned meals that leaves you waddling out. The chicken parma was pretty average and plain, so don't order it. The steak (last photo on this post) was really dry as there was no sauce accompanied with it, but smear the tomato chutney on it for more flavour. As for the hot chocolate, I'm a sucker for coffee art so I was reluctant to drink it at first and instead chose to admire it until my food came out. It was delicious.

I love baked beans (coz they are good for your heart and make you fart) but I have this terrible habit of making smiley faces with the food I cannot finish (refer to picture up top). I know, I know, LISA think of the people in the third world countries that could have fed their family with your leftovers, GOSH. But my stomach can only hold so much. Definitely pay Spiga a visit when you can, it's much better than the food at Equinox or anywhere else in MC.

Eggs Verdi

Misty's Diner

American Food. We all know about it. Greasy. Big portioned. Epic Meal Time. Mystical. Why did I use the word 'mystical'? Because today I will be sharing my wonderful experience at Misty's Diner... and this place is nothing short of mystical. The interior is an unquestionable replica of a real American diner. The only thing that was missing was that the waiter girls weren't on rollerskates, boo you whore. This didn't change the fact that this restaurant, hidden away in the streets of Prahan, holds a menu so amazing that I just have to share it! Considering we don't have many diners around Melbourne, this place is a lot better than Soda Rock on Chapel Street. Zooey Deschanel couldn't have said it any better, I love food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love her as well.

I don't know why the photos are so blue but don't h8.

As you can see from the images, we ordered a burger with chili fries that were fortunately NOT too chili because I cannot tolerate the intensity of spicy food. I did the rookie mistake of ordering a big breakfast, but when you are so overwhelmed by the menu, you do some silly things. The waffles were delicious but I wish there was maple syrup to eat it with. There were other meals I would have preferred to indulge in, but I guess it gives me an excuse to simply go back! Misty's Diner also stocks a vast selection of American beverages and American lollies and pop tarts et cetera. Misty's Diner closes at around 10pm but this place would be the best destination to eat at after a big (read messy) night out. 

Take me back to America! I miss it so much.

My family. The lifestyle. The food. The shopping.

Misty's Diner

Address: 103 High Street, Prahran 3181

Contact: 9510 1959

Longrain Melbourne

My first time at Longrain was in November 2011 and I have not been there since. Why? Because although the interior looked good on the eye, the food was only OKAY. Considering it has a highly regarded reputation of being a fine dining restaurant, the food, in my opinion, didn't have the WOW factor that I was expecting. Longrain is modern Thai cuisine which I guess gives them an interesting side to the restaurant. Our amateur move was that we didn't make a booking and ending up waiting for almost two hours, also because they 'forgot about us'. That goes to show how much they value their patrons. The cocktails were sub par to what I had read about before I went, so fortunately I only ordered one. It had chunky bits of fruit that was rather offputting.

If you do pay Longrain a visit, don't go in with high expectations because they probably won't be met. Bring sufficient funds because the portions are small and you will end up ordering 3/4 dishes, 5 if you're having dessert. You will also be sitting next to strangers on a really long table. Order the egg nest, but be warned, it's mostly filled with bean shoots which I guess gives it a refreshing taste. The pork was pretty good as well but from memory there was a lot of fat on it.

I forgot my camera that day, hence why the photos were taken from my trust iPhone 4. I really need to invest in a better camera.

watermelon cocktails

Trout Fish which had a delicious sauce that wasn't too sweet or sour.

The amazing egg nest.

Pork, Egg Nest, Fish