The Merrywell @ Crown Towers, Melbourne, Australia

Had some time before my flight, was craving for some burgers, and found this one on google, The Merrywell.

Seems their burgers was voted burger of the year for 2012 and 2013.

Had some onion rings for starter, nicely battered.

Instead of the burger that won the award which was The merrywell burger, I opted for a K.I.S.S burger, something basic which I can relate to, and consists of beef patty, ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles(nice!), mayo and cheddar cheese.

Yeap it's pink in the centre, now this is what I call a burger. Delicious.

And to wash it all down, a pint of Peroni beer. Yums!

The Merrywell,
Crown Tower,
Corner of Clarendon St and Crown Riverside,
Southbank, Melbourne,
Australia.

400 Gradi @ Lygon St, Melbourne, Australia

There's a few cuisines I will always try and go for in Melbourne, and Italian food is one of them. I was told by a good friend of mine to check out 400 Gradi on Lygon St, as their margherita pizza was crowned the best at the Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy this year. Woah, a melbourne based pizzeria won the championship? I had to check this out!

Cold winter night, seated outside, under the heater, coupled with a house red, ahhhh lovely.

The margherita, not thin crust, but doughy, chewy, not like those pan pizza's. I absolutely adore the texture. Somehow it has a nice balance to it, with certain parts being crusty and some chewy. A simple pizza just tomato based and cheese, executed perfectly. Yups, no wonder it won the best pizza. Keep up the excellent work. I'll be back!

400 Gradi,
99 Lygon St,
Brunswick East,
VIC 3057,
Australia.

Queen Victoria Market @ Melbourne, Australia.

Any trip to melbourne, this place is as iconic as it can be, it's definitely one of the checklist to do here. As you can see from my previous post, I would normally come here for my breakfast, but you can also do a take away, and in this case, oysters!!! Fresh, affordable and what a good way to start the day.

I wish I had a kitchen and cook some steaks. Everything looked beautiful.

Check out those fresh seafood.

 Oysters! 12 bucks for a dozen of fresh tazzy oysters. Good stuff.

Went to the fruits section, got myself a lemon, bought a tabasco previously.

Isn't that just lovely, all a dozen for myself.

Now the other thing you should try when your here, is the famous donuts. Sinful but worth it. It's just normal donuts, rolled in sugar with a bit of jam in it. Looks simple, but absolutely sinful and delicious.

Vic mart has a lot to offer, be it meats, fruits, coffee and so many other stuffs, just have a lovely stroll, look see and grab some bite or buy to enjoy at home. One of my favourite place when I'm down here.

Queen Victoria Market,
Corner of Victoria St and Elizabeth St,
Melbourne, VIC
3000 Australia.

Jim's Greek Tavern @ Collingwood, Melbourne.

Another rendezvous with an old mate of mine, we were having some happy hour drinks catching up in Collingwood, when hunger pangs. He was like, lets check out a greek joint around the corner. Damn was the place packed on a Saturday night.

One thing good about this place, you can bring your own (BYO) drinks, so happened we had a bottle of whisky to share between the both of us.

All the fresh produce on display, a lot of items to choose from.

 We were a bit plastered when we got in. How this place works is, the server will come, ask what food you don't or can't eat, and he'll recommend the dishes.

Some dips and bread to start with, no words can describe it. Everything was perfect. Love the dips.

Grilled octopus, very simply done, minimal seasoning but taste superb.

Next up was grilled fish, for me this was the star dish of the night. The boys did something right, I reckon the seafood is fresh, just beautiful. Drizzled with some olive oil, with a touch of salt, very basic but it brings out the taste of the fish.

We were having a good meal, paired with whisky, slowly catching up, and by the time we wanted to order an open souvlaki, all the meat that was being roasted was gone. I was a bit disappointed, but the server was friendly and recommended us this instead, forgot what was the dish on top, think was a lamb patty and the below was a lamb cutlet.

The cutlet was juicy, with enough fats on the side and mouthful of meat. Succulent. I'm not a connoisseur of Greek food, but I find their style to be very simple, no fancy seasoning, basic, but it brings out the best flavour of the dishes. I honestly would say, this is a hidden gem in Melbourne for me, and by far the best meal in this trip.  The ambience is homely, servers are friendly, and it feels like I'm having a meal in somebody's house.

Jim's Greek Tavern,
32 Johnston St,
Collingwood 3066
Melbourne VIC
Australia.

Little Creatures Dining Hall @ Fitzroy, Melbourne.

Had a quick catch up with an old friend of mine, and she suggested we headed here for drinks and grubs. Seems Little Creatures is a craft beer that started off in Perth and now well, all over the place you can find their beers.

Looks like an old warehouse where they renovated, with some tall tables, low communal tables, booth seating. At the back is the open kitchen, really loved the decor here. Loads to look at.

Ordered the pilsner, absolutely brilliant, loved the crisp taste.

And what's good to pair with beers? Well  a bowl of thick cut fries with their aioli garlic dip of course.

This place has a good vibe to it, chilled out and cosy. Great to catch up with some friends over beers and food. I shall be back one day to try out their mains:)

Little Creatures Dining Hall,
222 Brunswick St,
Fitzroy VIC,
Australia.

Snag Stand @ La Trobe St, CBD, Melbourne.

A friend of mine told me to go check out a hot dog stand on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston st. The menu is quite extensive with a few modern twist.

I decided to go old school and ordered a chilidog with a chipotle dip and chips. Just beautiful, the bun was soft, hotdog was bouncing with goodness and the stuff on top just made everything else delicious.

Thick cut chips, lightly salted, just nice. Located at a busy corner, just sit back, enjoy your food, and see the world past by.

Snag Stand,
Shop 211A,
La Trobe St,
Melbourne VIC,
Australia.

Pellegrini's @ Bourke St, CBD, Melbourne.

Came here once yonks ago, and I remembered it being an old school italian coffee joint, with home cooked italian dishes. This trip I make it a point to go check it out again, as all the old joints are slowly phasing out. I did some googling to check how the reviews were, mostly bad regarding the service and quality of food. But hey, you won't know till you try it right. The place can get really busy, so I purposely woke up early and go there for brunch at 11am (aha perks of being on holiday). I expected a food nazi, came here solo, mind my own business, ordered my coffee and lasagna, but boy was I surprised. The guy serving me was nice and chirpy, poured an excellent cup of latte.

Check that out, lovely cup of latte. One of the oldest coffee bar in Melbourne, and they still maintained the standard.

The interior is very old school, nothing changed much. Just grab a sit at the bar, have a coffee, lay back and just chill people watching.

The lasagna, nice. Portion is big as usual for melbourne standards, had some trouble finishing it. A bit pricey, but I reckon in my books it's good stuff.

From my observation there's a lot of returning regulars that dine in here. So i'm sure there's something which Pellegrini's are doing right. As for me, the old guy behind the bar looks chirpy, the staff is courteous and friendly. I'll definitely be back next trip when I'm down in melb, just for a lovely cuppa and pasta.


Pellegrini's Espresso Bar,
66 Bourke St,
Melbourne, VIC,
Australia.

Stalactites @ Lonsdale St, CBD, Melbourne.

Now this place does bring back a lot of memories, where to go for supper in the CBD after a night out of drinking and clubbing? Well stalactites of course. A greek joint which serves awesome food.

I found out this place was closed for quite a few months for renovation. The place looks clean and modern now compared to the old days, and thankfully taste wise it did not drop a bit. Still as good as I remembered it.

This is where the magic happens, chunks of meat being roasted to perfection.

This round, I opted for a mix souvlaki on the go. Generous portions of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, chunks of lamb and chicken with tzatziki sauce. Perfect, just perfect. Damn it, I could really use a souvlaki right now.

They serve other awesome dishes too. If your dining in, do try their hot sausages, dips and breads, and the open bread souvlaki. 

Stalactites,

177-183 Lonsdale St, 

Melbourne, VIC

Australia.

Open 24 hours. 

Touche Hombre @ Lonsdale St, CBD, Melbourne.

Mexican food in the cbd, after happy hours, plus continuing sipping margaritas with good food, with a laid back ambience, I like this joint.

Very casual outlook with high tables and chairs.

Hot sauce to go with your meal, try it!

Nachos to share, now doesn't that look appealing?

Forgot to take a picture of the ceviche, this was I think 25% left of what was the dish. Tasted good though.

Beef cheek taco, small portions but just nice for me. The beef was good.

And the star of the night, would be the lamb ribs. Loved the marination, with a bit of fats, juicy, succulent and nicely charred.

Touche Hombre,
233 Lonsdale St,
Melbourne, VIC
Australia.

Oriental Spoon @ Latrobe St, CBD, Melbourne.

Met up and old friend for lunch and she suggested korean food. Never doubt a local, the food is good.

I was still on my recovery mode from the previous night, and what a better way to cure a hangover with a cold beer, carlton draught.

Jap chae, stir fry glass noodles with beef. This dish was executed perfectly. Noodles were smooth and the beef was juicy. I have come to a conclusion, food in Australia is generally good because of the produce and ingredients.

 Some sides which consists of kimchi, beansprouts and a mixture of egg tofu slices.

 We ordered two kinds of beef cuts, one normal, and the other marinated ribs. Just lovely, the steak was good, and the marinated ribs, even better.

The staff was courteous and fast, even helped us to grill everything. I honestly thought it's just gonna be another korean restaurant, but as I mentioned, never doubt a local, thank you for choosing this place for lunch.

Oriental Spoon,
254 La Trobe St,
Melbourne, VIC
Australia.