Sorry for the lack of updates, but school has been really hectic with tests (one tomorrow) and assignments. But HFB did had a couple of interesting practical lessons the past few days - plating, beef, lamb and poultry (which he did today). The trussing of the chicken was really an interesting experience and de-boning a whole chicken - oh boy, didn't knew he had that in him!

Anyhow, the whole fiddling of chicken today reminded him of an amusing meal he had in Sydney, or more specifically, at Market City, right above Paddy's Market, in Chinatown. After almost 3 weeks in Australia, he was craving for something local, and Market City food court is notorious for some funky Asian Food. And there right across his table was a Caucasian lady fiddling with a Roast Duck Leg.



But who would have thought that in Australia you could have the best of both worlds - combining Roast Duck Leg with Laksa! If you really have to know, HFB did eventually finished his whole bowl of noodles even though it was nothing great - since his craving simply overwhelmed him.



Ingenuity concept or an absolute taboo? You decide.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Sydney Part 1 - East Ocean Restaurant
• Sydney Part 2 - Sydney Fish Market (SFM)
• Sydney Part 3 - Noble Court Chinese Restaurant
• Sydney Part 4 - New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
• Sydney Part 5 - Pictures Galore

Located at the heart of Melbourne, Yum Cha at Shark Fin House is consistently recommended as the best in Chinatown. Since 1989, this restaurant has been a busy bustling place with three floors and a lift which gets very crowded during peak period. Reservation is recommended for big groups as queue starts forming 30 minutes before the restaurant's trading hours.



The HFB's benchmark for Dim Sum lies in the usual suspects of Prawn Dumplings, Siew Mai and Pork Ribs - although they weren't blissfully divine, they were definitely better than your average.







And if you bet the one dish HFB will order in Australia's Dim Sum restaurants, that dish would definitely be their Deep Fried Squid Tentacles. And boy don't it look delicious? Happiness.



Total damage for the above plus the other dishes below for 2 pax - $53.











Rating
Food: 3.75/5 (Food was above average, and came piping hot)
Service: 3.75/5 (Service staff was quick & efficient)
Ambience: 4/5 (Elegant modern Chinese interior)
Price: 3/5 (Slightly steep)
Total: 14.5/20
131 Little Bourke Street,
Melbourne, Australia

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Peach Garden @ 33
• Sydney Part 1 - East Ocean Restaurant
• Ipoh Day 1 Part 1
• Made from Hong Kong
• Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant @ Grand Mecure Roxy Hotel

Brunetti, an iconic Italian pasticceria in Melbourne's Italian district – Carlton, is the scene where patrons indulge in intricately decorated cakes and confections since 1985.



If you are an aficionado of pastry and baking, HFB can assure you that staring at the counter displays will excite you akin to a little kid venturing around Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!



And yes, if you haven’t already read about it, Brunetti is making its way to Resort World Singapore (although the opening date has not been set). Imagine this – so popular was Brunetti’s sweet bliss, that they expanded its cafe area in 2009, and did away with a la carte meals altogether – how cool was that (If only places like Bakerzin could follow likewise)!



In any case, HFB was advised to try their cake repertoire, and especially their Opera ($5.90 per slice), featuring layers of Almond Sponge, Coffee Butter Cream, Chocolate Ganache and Cointreau Liqueur.



Along with the Nutella Praline Slice ($5.90 per slice) that contained rich moist Chocolate Cake with layers of Nutella Praline Mousse, HFB thought both were one of the better renditions he had savoured, but definitely not the best in town!



Fascinatingly, the one memorable experience HFB had when he was there wasn’t with their cakes or pastry but their beverage – their Italian Hot Chocolate ($4.40) to be exact. He didn’t quite recall whether he had one prior to that, but Brunetti’s version certainly etched deeply within him with its intense, thick, creamy – almost pudding like concoction.



The way it coats your palate makes you aware you have had a lot of chocolate...almost to the point you have no clue you are purring! That was one helluva liquid chocolate!

Rating
Food: 4/5 (Italian Hot Chocolate was a winner!)
Service: 3.5/5 (Service staff was efficient and not exactly friendly, quite a bit of waiting for my hot beverage)
Ambience: 4/5 (Nice al fresco seating with modern indoor furnishing)
Price: 3.5/5 (Affordable)
Total: 15/20
194 - 204 Faraday Street
Carlton Vic 3053
Australia

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• Taste Down Under IV - Ciao Italia, South Perth, Perth
• Sapore Italiano @ Raffles City
• Photos from HFB Makan Session V @ 1 Caramel
• Ristorante De Parma - Falling in Love with Desserts!!!
• Wordless Wednesday - Ladurée Macaron @ Mitsukoshi, Ginza

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