Melbourne: Café Vue at 401

Owner of the Vue de monde group is one of Melbourne’s greatest chefs- Shannon Bennet. His café on 401 St. Kilda Road is a more casual and relaxed version of the Vue de monde restaurant. Their food was simple but exceptional.

Soft shell crab with tomato and cumin sauce($19)

Duck ravioli with sage butter ($19)

Terrine du jour

This 12 hour cooked beef cheek was incredibly soft and tender.

Braised beef cheek with baby vegetables ($30)

Miso marinated barramundi with clams meuniere ($30)

 Ocean trout with sorrel sauce ($30)

This dish is the epitome of 'simple but exceptional food' mentioned above... The roast chicken was perfectly cooked- not only was the meat very tender, but it was also still firm and did not lose its texture. The chips were also very addictive as they were more solid and firm compared to ordinary ones. Possibly the best roast chicken and chips out there! :D

Roast chicken with mash potatoes or fries

And for dessert...

Madeleines with honey ice cream ($16)

Pistachio crème brulee ($16)

Pear tart tatin ($16)

Pistachio, chocolate, coconut, orange, strawberry and passion fruit macaroons 

The bitter sweet warm chocolate mousse went very well with the sour poached plums. The chocolate biscuit or cake crumbs added more texture to this delight :)

Poached plum with warm chocolate mousse ($16)

Café Vue at 401 had a very stylish and modern interior. The vibrant colours definitely creates an upbeat atmosphere and makes an impression in the minds of many- especially their washrooms, possibly the red-est one out there haha

Nibble on Nibblies! xx

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Café Vue at 401

401 St Kilda Rd
Melbourne, 3141


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Coco Cubano

With the weather cooling right down in Sydney, one of the best ways to warm up is having a relaxing chitchat over a cup of hot chocolate… or maybe more than just one cup :P 

Still feeling the need for something sweet after dinner, J & L ended up at Coco Cubano. Located on the corner, the Cuban café boasted a big cursive script sign, customers all scattered in their outdoor section and huge menu boards behind the counter. Our eyes went straight to the list of premium hot chocolate which attracted us immediately. With so many new and exotic flavours on offer,  we seriously were torn and in the end we couldn’t resist but try a few …

Mojo – Irish Cream Hot Chocolate ($4.75 for small)

If hot chocolate could get more indulgent, then it would be the Mojo. A Hint of Irish Cream (Think Bailey’s!) mixed with smooth creamy chocolate resulted in an extremely creamy but not too overpowering drink. It was sweet and made a delightful after dinner drink. This was our favourite ! 

Valentino – Rose Hot Chocolate (4.75)

This was a delicious concoction of chocolate and rose. The smooth velvety chocolate was a pleasure  to drink and reminded us of the rose and lychee combination – just like the cupcakes from Sparkle Cupcakery! 

Berry – Strawberry Hot Chocolate ($4.75) 

This was a nice drink, although being the least exotic out of the three. It tasted like a smooth liquid version of chocolate dipped strawberries!

Coco Cubano also had an eclectic décor, with mismatched photos and frames all around the wall, mismatched chairs and sofas and even book-like cardboard boxes to signify our order. The perfect place to catch up and and escape the chilly wind for awhile :)




Nibble on Nibbles! xx

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Coco Cubano

191 Oxford St 

Darlinghurst

NSW 2010


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Melbourne: Tea House On Burke

J’s family are quite regular diners at Tea House. The award winning Chinese restaurant offers both traditional and contemporary Cantonese cuisine including the old favourites as well as some creative inventions :) oh! and a key is not to order from the menu, because most of the best stuff are not on it!

These dishes are some of the family’s favourites :) ! note that the prices are all approximations since these were not on the menu..

The golden prawns are sautéed with salted duck egg yolks. It’s not too salty or oily, the prawns are fresh and crisp and the amount of duck egg is just right to impart flavour onto the dish.  They also serve wasabi prawns that are similar to the golden prawns, but the salted duck egg yolks are substituted with a mild wasabi and mayonnaise paste.  The wasabi flavour is not strong at all- even J who normally isn’t fond of it can eat it :) though of course she prefers the ones with the duck eggs hehe

Golden Prawns (~$40)

The twice cooked pork is first braised and then sautéed. It is served with a light sauce and strings of thinly sliced apple :) The sweet yet sour fruitiness from the crispy strings of apple goes really well with the succulent slices of pork.. in fact J loves eating the apple alone with the sauce as it refreshes the taste buds in the middle of her meal :P

Twice Cooked Pork (~$30)

The BBQ beef eye fillet with black pepper sauce is not like the normal ones you get from Chinese take-away. The beef is not well done but is still pink and tender :) and is served with sweet and crunchy snow peas.. the sauce is light and not overwhelmingly peppery, though it is served on the side, satisfying the needs of those who like it spicy and those who like it simple at the same time :D

BBQ Beef Eye Fillet with Black Pepper Sauce (~$30)

We also decided to try the Chinese style pan fried barramundi that night and it certainly did not disappoint! the fish was soft and moist, served with the sort of light soy sauce and spring onions you would normally get with Chinese steamed fish :)  

Chinese Style Pan Fried Barramundi (~$40)

A good bowl of fried rice should be relatively dry where each individual grain of rice is separated and not stuck together. The rice should be chewy and not mushy, flavoured should be from the ingredients and just lightly seasoned. The Yeung Chow fried rice at the Tea House fulfils all of the above criteria, and is also one of J’s aunt’s favourites… (Yeung Chow fried rice is the type typically with shrimps, BBQ pork, egg and spring onions added) though some of us thought that this time it might have lacked a bit of salt, but other than that, it sure was a hearty bowl of fried rice :)

Yeung Chow Fried Rice (~$20 per plate)

This dessert is one that the family always orders regardless of the restaurant. The Chinese crepes are usually made with red bean paste, but here they offer it in taro paste :D ! The dish is served warm with the outside fried till crispy and golden :) the thickness of the batter here is just right and the taro paste inside is smooth (some can get dry and lumpy) and not too sweet. A perfect finish to our meal :D

Chinese Crepes with Taro Paste (~$15)

Tea House is always a lovely dining experience with some interesting and well prepared Chinese food.. The prices are reasonable considering the quality of food served..The staffs were helpful and intuitive- let them know what sort of food you like and they’ll take care of it for u :)

Nibble on Nibblies! xx

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Tea House on Burke

911 -913 Burke Road, 

Camberwell, VIC 3124