From the category archives:

cheap eat

Sydney Cheap Eats – Menya Mappen & Menya Oiden, Sydney CBD

by jeroxie January 19, 2012

Sydney has a larger Japanese community. There are so many little Japanese cafes, restaurants and chain ones like Menya. My first Menya encounter was Menya Noodle Bar in Haymarket that serves pretty awesome ramen. I prefer Gumshara but my colleagues are skewed towards Menya. I will go back and have another shot and write about it again.

20 comments Full article here

Discovery – Cheap eats in Sydney

by jeroxie October 9, 2011

If you are travelling on a budget in Sydney, living by yourself, a student or just want food cheap, fast and delicious, then these 2 places have your name stamped all over it. It is actually true to say that eating in Sydney costs more than Melbourne. I was up in Sydney for 5 days and it was wise to start watching out spending. The interstate move from Melbourne is going to be crazy expensive. If anyone has any better ideas, feel free to pass them over.

22 comments Full article here

Gumshara Ramen, Haymarket

by jeroxie October 1, 2011

Many have come before me and raved about it. It is a very well known fact that ramen in Sydney is definitely far superior than in Melbourne. I have been to Sydney many times and yet never had the chance to hit the infamous Gumshara Ramen. This very popular ramen outlet is located in a food court in Haymarket. This is the first time that Mister and I are taking a lunch break together in Sydney. I am sure the novelty will wear off but for now, I am embracing it. It was about a 5 minutes walk from my office on Kent Street to Haymarket. I was expecting a long queue but was pleasantly surprise that the wait was not too bad.

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Chinese Spicy and Barbie Kitchen

by jeroxie June 19, 2011

Chinese Spicy and Barbie Kitchen 311 Racecourse Road Kensington, 3031 (03) 9372 5218 Google map A menu filled with offal goodness? Meat on a stick? And hot and spicy sichuan dishes? I think Billy got me at offal. This place has my name written all over it and I could not wait for it to [...]

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Chillipadi mamak kopitiam, Flemington

by jeroxie February 4, 2011

Flemington is fast becoming the Asian food mecca in Melbourne. We have 2 high profile Malaysian Chinese eateries that is in heavy competition to each other – Laksa King and Chef Legenda. A Chinese yong tao fu shop and another Chinese dumplings and BBQ place is opening up soon. And now, Chillipadi Mamak Kopitiam has joined in fun. And apparently a sichuan place is opening up near Coles on Racecourse road! All the food I like is just round the corner from us. Hooray!

55 comments Full article here

Vy Vy, Flemington

by jeroxie September 28, 2010

It takes a lot to stop me in my tracks on my way home. Especially, when I’m hungry and heading for dinner after a long day. But the music was pumping and there was a crowd watching some kind of parade or show? Curiosity got better of me. Legs! Legs walking up and down to the beat of the music. Voodoo Hosiery must have set this up part of Spring Fashion Week. Only legs were shown. I wonder how the girls look like?!? Is this bad?

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Chef Lagenda, Flemington

by jeroxie September 21, 2010

Next to the newly re-opened Laksa King is another Malaysian restaurant, Cafe Lagenda. It has been rumoured that this place is opened by a previous chef or partner. Mister is adamant that the chef in this kitchen is the previous chef from Laksa King. Does anyone know anything? Gossip?

35 comments Full article here

China Red, Melbourne CBD

by jeroxie September 14, 2010

I get really excited whenever there is a new Chinese restaurant. I can’t recall why I was in the city but I did happen to walk past China Red on its opening week. So excited that I immediately sms’ed a friend to tell her all about it. The front set up is very similar to Hutong – Cooks pulling noodles or crimping dumplings in a large aquarium like window.

50 comments Full article here

Hung Vuong, Footscray

by jeroxie August 15, 2010

I cannot believe that I have blogged about Hung Vuong in Footscray. With so many choices along Hopkins Street, this has been our preference lately. Maybe because it has heating in winter and air-condition in summer unless many of the older establishments. And also maybe because it has nice white light and better for taking photos!

I made my usual order of beef special combination. It is basically pho served with beef slices, beef sausage that is heavily laced with black pepper, tendons and thinly sliced tripes. The broth is quite heavily scented and flavoured with clove. MSG? Of course! But still a nice broth. The portions here are quite generous. As usual, I love topping it with bean sprouts, Vietnamese basil, a good squeeze of lemon with slices of fresh chill, chilli sauce, hoisin sauce and more chilli oil. Stir, combine and slurp! Pho is the best in winter! Comforting and somehow doesn’t make me feel too heavy after

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Zappa, South Melbourne

by jeroxie August 8, 2010

Thursday is gnocchi day at Zappa. This little cafe is family owned and have been around for ages. It is a South Melbourne institution. Michael is usually there to greet everyone. “Hi Bella! How are you today?” And I love how this place is decked out. So many memoirs and nic nacs stuck on walls from the past to the present. Photos of family, greeting cards, little notes… all of sentimental value and showcases the history of this little café.

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STREAT needs You

by jeroxie July 1, 2010

Winter is definitely in town. The last few days have been really cold from the rain and the strong gusty winds.

I love snuggling under the donna with the heater on. I feel very fortunate. These are simple pleasures in life but not everyone in Melbourne is as fortunate. To have a proper donna and heater is luxury to many of the homeless people. Have you wondered where do they sleep on cold winter nights that we are currently experiencing? Do they have hot soups to warm their bellies? Who do they turn to when they need to hug to make these cold nights a little more bearable?

32 comments Full article here

Melbourne CBD quick yummy lunch – N Lee & Cinnamon’s

by jeroxie May 7, 2010

The thing that I miss about working in Melbourne CBD is the variety and quality of good lunch food. Now that I am in South Melbourne, I hardly venture around the area. It is like what @jettingjoyce said, a black hole of good food and I totally agree. Don’t get me wrong. There are nice places for food in South Melbourne but few are affordable to lunch everyday.

After the trip from Hobart and not much food in the refrigerator, it was an excuse to travel to the CBD for some good and affordable lunch. First stop was N Lee Bakery. This is one of the only places in the city that serves Banh Mi or Vietnamese roll. It is definitely a meal in a bun. Carbohydrates, protein and fresh salad! Banh Mi starts with a short Vietnamese style baguette or roll. It has a thin layer of butter and pate. And then followed by the cold meats. You can choose to have cold cuts pork (original) or chicken breasts slices. It is then topped with shredded carrots, thinly sliced onions, fresh coriander, freshly sliced red chillies (optional) and then drizzled lightly with light soy sauce. $5 for a roll in the city is very affordable. But you will be able to get it at $3.80 in the suburbs.

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Coconut House after its renovation

by jeroxie April 27, 2010

We have not visited Coconut House after its recent renovation. We walked past it several times as we head to Rose Garden at times for lunch. Coconut House is hardly empty. It is always buzzing and I think even more so after its renovation. What caught my eye that fateful Saturday was the poster of a bowl of wonton noodles. I must have it. A little queue won’t kill right?

Both of us have a soft spot for cendol and was please to find it on the new menu. The Coconut House Cendol Special was served with soya bean and gula malacca (palm sugar). It was not as we expected. The cendol was not well made and just did not work with the soya bean. It is probably more healthy than having coconut milk instead but soya bean lacked the flavour.

40 comments Full article here

Wooga, North Melbourne

by jeroxie April 12, 2010

One of Mister’s close friend was in town just this Easter passing. He has been away for a year travelling around the world and currently settled in London and working. It has been tough for him and I can imagine the change in lifestyle has also changed him. I was always this weird anticipation before catching up with friends that I have not met for awhile. Will we still be able to just pick up from where we left off? Do you ever have this feeling?

Anyway, the day we caught up was the day that Mister and I spent the day with #ramenhunters. After a day of eating, it was unthinkable that we could consume anymore food. We settled for Korean BBQ. I could at least choose to nibble on pieces of meat and not feel self conscious.

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The search of the best tonkotsu ramen in Melbourne

by jeroxie March 7, 2010

A call to all Melbournians – Where is your favourite ramen shop?
I am not sure when Mister started his craze for Ramen, in particular, Tonkotsu. I thought long and hard and it seems that Menya Noodle Bar in Sydney is the culprit. Mister discovered this place while on a short visit up in Sydney. The next time we were up there, he insisted that we had to pay homage to this place.

Before I carry on with my rambles, let me briefly explain what tonkotsu is. It is a cloudy pork soup base. It’s cloudiness comes from being cooked with crushed pork bones for hours. Hence, its porky aroma and heavy pork tastes in its broth.

28 comments Full article here

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