Desserts, glorious Asian desserts

Where can you go to find refreshing dessert after a spicy meal??  Fret not!  If you are in Chinatown, then head to Meet Fresh, a Taiwanese dessert outlet, located in Dixon Street, from the corner of Mamak restaurant.  What I like about this restaurant is that there are ample seating, on the ground floor, outside as well as their top floor.  The desserts are divided into combinations of pearls, peanuts, taro balls with herbal grass jelly or taro... all very new to me and I didn't know what to expect.  For the unsure, there's the usual blended drinks.

I like this dessert spot... lots of variations and the desserts costs around $5.50, but a huge serving... yummm on a hot day!
 

   

Spicy Panda

What a name for a restaurant... Spicy Panda???  What kind of a restaurant is it?  Turns out that this is a Sichuan restaurant.  The restaurant is located on Level 1, 8 Dixon Street, Chinatown. 

My friend decided to check it out to see if it could rival the Red Chilli Sichuan which we have been frequenting.

Going up the stairs, the restaurant looked bright and the tables were quite spacious.  Good first impressions...
the menu looked interesting and varied too, mains ranged from $15 - $30.  The first time we went, we decided to order the Spicy fish with minced pork and the Ma Po tofu.  It was an enjoyable meal and was tasty (no photos...as we were too hungry...)

We decided to go again and ordered the same fish with minced pork (you pay an additional $5 for fresh barramundi, otherwise the barramundi is frozen) and this time it was pork ribs with chips.

It was once again an enjoyable meal...a restaurant which we will come again... given that there is more often than not a queue outside Red Chilli Sichuan in Chinatown....

Il Goloso - Oh so....

When Kevin suggested meeting up, we thought, yes, we'd head out to Haberfield (which Kevin could not refuse) and try Il Goloso which neither of us have tried before.

I was a bit apprehensive after reading the reviews which were quite mixed and I thought had more negatives than positives ... but we decided to give the restaurant a go anyway.

Il Goloso is situated at the old Haberfield Post Office building and I think the old signpost is still there.
 
As we approached, the waiter (or more like the owner) greeted us and asked if we wanted to sit alfresco or inside.  He took us inside but we decided that the patio area looks nicer (but I was hoping the mosquitoes would not come after me...!).  He then proceeded to take us round the back of the restaurant past the open kitchen.

There is a blackboard special.  We decided to share our entree of zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and anchovies.  It tasted ok ... but lacked presentation with the zucchini flowers sitting on only a few salad leaves.

Our mains came next, fillet steak in peppercorn sauce with spaghetti marinara.  The pasta was quite tasty but the serving was relatively small for the price.  The fillet steak (my portion) anyway was full of grizzle and again, lacked taste... alas...

Kevin said... "it could be better"... that says it all, and explains why this restaurant was not as full when compared to the other restaurants around them which were full of customers.... hmm... I have a sneaky suspicion why the owner was so keen for us to sit outside...

Did curiosity kill the cat?

My girlfriends and I tried to book into this restaurant in Melbourne during the June long weekend - after several attempts and at the receiving end of the rude staff... we thought... what is so special about this restaurant that there are people queuing even before it is opened?

I tried to make a booking for my next weekend in Melbourne and was quite surprised to see that I could get a table on a Saturday morning at quite short notice... When the day arrived, my friend and I eagerly anticipated having brunch at this restaurant, the Hutong Dumpling restaurant, 14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne.  This restaurant is tucked away in a laneway but if you were to glance upwards, one would be able to see the sign.  If not, you will be led to the group of hungry customers waiting outside patiently.

There was a scurry of movement as soon as the door was opened at 11.30am.  We were quickly ushered into our tables.  It was not a very big restaurant with a couple of tables downstairs.  We were sent upstairs where there were a few big tables to cater for the families.
We ordered a hot and sour soup, Dan Dan noodles, their famous Xiao Long Pau and Eggplant hotpot. 

The hot and sour soup to my disappointment was quite watery... and lack taste.  The Dan Dan noodles was yummy though and the noodles were really smooth and the soup was tasty.

The Xiao Long Pau... let's say that I've had better.  I thought the pastry was a tad too thick and the filling had aa sticky film over it.

However, this was compensated by the eggplant hotpot was was delicious.

Overall, I thought that this restaurant was not too bad in terms of price but... I can't understand the hype...  nor the attitude...??