Clearing Out My Backlog 7: Krimper Cafe | Pillar of Salt | Pidapipó

Pillar of Salt, Richmond

The Benedict - $17

Poached eggs, braised and shredded cape otway ham hock, smashed peas, apple cider hollandaise, toast

Perfection! 

The way the sauce just drapes down the side is just sooo sexy too

Corn Fritters - $17

With a house cured ocean trout, sugar snap pea and tomato salad

Mum and I came to Pillar of Salt when we failed to get a table at Top Paddock on a public holiday. It was a convenient alternative because it was just down the road from Top Paddock. Plus, it looked pretty good on the outside. I was surprised when we got a table right away seeing as everywhere else is pretty much packed to the brim, being the start of Long Weekend and all. The friendly waiter escorted us to the covered courtyard at the back (my seating location of choice at any cafe).

All the food that came out of the kitchen looked good. It had height and generous portions. I must say I was pretty blown away by the eggs benedict I got. The hollandaise had the must luscious and velvety texture and I absolutely love the flavour of apple cider infused into it. It was SO good. Just look at the way it drapes over the egg and spills over to the side… Sooooo sexy. The ham was tasty and complemented the dish too. I'm generally not a fan of eggs benedict at all, not even sure what possessed me to order it but I'm glad I did because it is honestly one of the best ones in Melbourne. 

I almost always order cured fish everywhere I go when having brunch. Even when they don't have it in the dish, I would normally opt to add it in. Most places are pretty good when it comes to cured fish but unfortunately Pillar of Salt wasn't one of them. It was actually really fishy and hard to enjoy. Not fresh at all. The salad was rather unexciting and I don't know if it went well with the rest of the dish. Corn fritters were average.

Overall, I'd say that they hit a home run with the eggs benedict but really missed the mark with the corn fritters and ocean trout. Not sure how the other dishes fair but wouldn't mind coming back to try. I enjoyed sitting at their courtyard so hopefully I'll get to do that again next time. 

Krimper Cafe, CBD

Ocean Egg - $16

Beetroot cured Hapuka, poached egg, corn fritter

Came to Krimper one morning with a bunch of friends that I haven't caught up with in ages. Krimper was tucked away in some nook in an unassuming alleyway unbeknownst to the people whether you roam the area often or not. It's like the more frontage value you get, the more cafe owners tend to avoid these places and go for the complete opposite. Something I really love about the cafe culture here because it says a lot when a cafe is thriving at a seemingly bad or unpopular location…. Such is the case for Krimper.

Took me awhile to find the alleyway which almost felt deserted from the outside until I walked in and realised that they had a full house inside. As mentioned earlier, cured fish is almost always my brekkie dish of choice everywhere I go so I went straight for the beetroot cured hapuka with corn fritters.

I love hapuka. When it's at the right size/age, the meat can be very delicate and sweet. The one here was cured beautifully. Corn fritters were a tiny bit on the floury side and could've been a bit more crispier on the outside for my liking but it was a pretty decent dish as a whole. Based on my dish that day, I wouldn't say I'm necessarily blown away the food here but hey, the coffee's good. Ample seating. Nicely spaced out. Comfortable interior. Pretty easy and relaxed place to hangout if you ask me. 

 

Pidapipó, Carlton

I've said this several times, but we are VERY spoilt for choice when it comes to amazing quality gelato shops in Melbourne. The top 5 contenders IMO are n2 gelato, Gelato Messina, Spring St Grocer, Helados Jauja and... the new kid on the block: Pidapipó!

Each of them has got their own style, personality and offerings. I don't normally like to compare but I must say that out of all these great gelaterias, Pidapipó is definitely my favourite. It's not that the others aren't good, but I think this place really is more my style and the overall feel of the place is a huge factor in this decision. In terms of the fitout and ice cream itself, it is modest and humble. Simple and honest. It has a very strong Italian family vibe and I know for a fact that whoever started this place has paid true homage to his or her heritage.

Also, you get your ice cream with a smile and a pleasant conversation, which may not sound like much but it is something that is becoming increasingly rare because most popular places these days are packed full of people with lines out to the streets. I think most of all I appreciate the slow pace of this gelateria. I don't have to feel too absurd waiting in a crowded space and I like that I can truly enjoy my ice cream inside with my friends. If this is a taste of what Italy is like, then I need to book a plane ticket there because it's lovely.

That said, the gelato here is damn good too. These gelatisans really know what they're doing. Each flavour that our friends and I got screamed the true and natural flavours of the ice cream we were getting... Real gelato. Whether it's something as simple as a pear flavoured gelato, the flavours are really pronounced yet refined, which is something that I really like about the ice cream here.

Like I said, each of these top gelato shops are good, don't get me wrong. In fact, I'd be happy with any of their ice creams too. I just can't help but find Pidapipó to be so charming. Plus, it just reminds me of a simpler/happier time and that's exactly how I want to enjoy my ice cream.

Adding this to the books under Wince's faves for sure. 

Clearing Out My Backlog 6: The Last Jar | Aoba Japanese Cafe | Fukuryu Ramen

The Last Jar, North Melbourne

Complimentary bread

Crispy pig's ear - $5

Pot of Sea bounty mussels, cider, parsley and dill - $16

Special of the Day: Fried zucchini flowers

Beer battered fish, chips, tartare sauce and mushy peas - $16

Roasted Milawa chicken, butter roasted potato, ham hock coleslaw - $27

300g Cape Grim grass fed onglet - $26

Dublin coddle - $19

I've developed a strong liking towards The Last Jar after my first visit earlier this year. So much so that I decided to take my Mum and Sister here as well. If you're unfamiliar of this place, The Last Jar is an Irish pub that serves pretty decent food. 

On both visits, I think that the standout dishes are the mussels and roast chook. The mussels hit the spot each time. Plump, juicy and succulent. I know that these 3 adjectives mean the same thing, but it was a point that I'd like to stress. I should mention that the sauce was delicious, too. That aside, the Milawa chicken dish is one of the best chicken dishes in Melbourne IMHO. First, it is seriously succulent and has the crispiest skin. The portions are so massive and it is just a dish that is great, great value for money. Most people that come here and have tried would agree. The other dishes are okay but still had room for improvement.

Overall, I think The Last Jar is a very casual, relaxed and fuss free place to come to in the CBD. Few standout dishes with a few more that could be better. Still, decent gastropub affair that is good value for money too. A pretty good spot to come to on a Friday or when you're not sure where to go in the CBD. 

Aoba Japanese Cafe, Malvern

Salmon Sashimi Platter (10 pieces) - $13

GK Box - $14.50

(Chicken karaage, gyoza, agedeshi tofu, rice and miso soup)

Chef Special - $15.00

(Chicken karaage, spring rolls and fresh sashimi tuna in spicy sauce)

I catch up with my friend A from time to time. What I like about our hangouts is that it is normally pretty spontaneous. It started last year when we found out that we both were working late on a Friday night and decided to grab dinner together since it was about 8pm and neither of us could be bothered to go home to cook. After that, we started doing this more on a regular basis. The other fun thing about this is that we always end up picking a place that neither of us has ever been before.

Aoba was one of those occasions that happened earlier this year. We were due for our occasional catchup so I did some research and suggested that we gave this place a go since it was highly rated on Urbanspoon and also located in Malvern -- a suburb that we don't venture into enough.

Aoba is a really tiny shop with a few tiny  tables squished together. It is solely operated by one waiter and one chef cooking in a tiny kitchen at the back. The setup was very basic, but had a strong personal and inviting touch. It felt as though we were dining in the Japanese couple's home.

As for the food, I think they are quite popular for their bento boxes and rice sets -- which I always enjoy. Food was prepared well and we both enjoyed our meal here. Simple, straight to the point and reasonably priced. Definitely would come back here again.

Fukuryu Ramen, CBD

Signature Tonkotsu 

(thick and creamy)

Shoyu Ramen

(Tokyo style)

Miso Ramen

(rich and savoury with butter)

Pork Gyoza - $5

Pork Belly Plate - $5

It doesn't take long before word goes around that there's a new ramen joint in town. Dave and Lib first told me about Fukuryu Ramen when they first opened. I was there in the first week because they were selling all ramen for only $6 as part of their promotion for their soft launch.

My first impression was that it was nice and spacious with ample room for comfort. Very quiet and relaxed too. There wasn't anyone in line to order so the staff were beaming at you the moment you walked in. 

The ramen broth was really good. It was really bold, distinct with strong depth of flavour. I was very impressed by this. The ramen noodles could've been a bit more undercooked or el dente for my liking but it was still tasty nonetheless. There wasn't as much ingredients in my bowl but then again, many ramen places aren't generous in this department as well. Plus, we were only paying $6 per bowl at the time. If that was more than $10 for what I was getting, then I'd have something else to say…

Gyoza was disappointing as it had a lacklustre skin and filling but the grilled pork was amazing. So fragrant and charred to perfection, whilst being so moist and tender. Overall, I was quite impressed by the broth of the ramens here. They gave me a side of the chilli soy bean paste to dip my meat in too, which tasted awesome. 

Although, I did come at a really premature stage of the business when barely anyone have heard about them. Ever since then, this place has completely blown up all over the food scene with long lines of people waiting in the streets, running out of ingredients and quality not up to par at times. It sounds rough but I don't blame them one bit. It is very difficult for businesses to keep up with the sudden surge of demand (especially when it hit them all of a sudden) but what I do know is that they try their best. It was good when I went, so I believe they do have potential. I'm sure they still have a bit of a learning curve before they really find their ground but they'll get there. 

The other good thing I do enjoy about this place is that they keep things exciting by always introducing new promotions, side dishes and ramen options for people to enjoy (such as nori fries, dry ramen, vegetarian ramen, pork belly rice, etc etc). Initiatives like these always keep customers like us wanting to come back for more. I know that they've only just started out so I wish them all the best in their endeavours.

Boozy Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chips

I know I've said this once, I've said this a thousand times... But I really can't say that I'm the world's biggest fan of desserts. However, there are certain instances where I would enjoy them more than others. For instance, I do enjoy warm type of desserts (like a freshly baked butter cake, sticky date pudding or apple crumble). Otherwise, when custard is involved. But best of all, when there's booze in the dessert.

I do love them boozy desserts... And I mean, really boozy desserts. I like the booze to taste so strong that it almost knocks you out... *hic*  

It's weird.

But awesome at the same time. 

I guess that's prolly why I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this dessert after I made it for a potluck at my cousins' place late last year. It had balance and contrast in many ways. It was sweet, but countered with the hit of booze. It was moist and pillowy at the bottom, but with a nice sugar crunch on top. Bonus bits were definitely the gooey chocolate chunks you get across the whole dish.

Although, I must admit that I almost tripled the amount of booze than what was originally specified... And I'm glad I did because it tasted just right for me =)

To finish, I thought I'd serve this with some sort of white custard sauce, so I made the same Creme Anglaise that I normally serve with my Fig Frangipane Tart (which you can find the recipe for: here). Totally optional.

Anyway, this recipe is super easy and I do suggest that you give this a go too. Hope you're all enjoying the rest of your week!

Love the sugar crunch on top... 

And the whole, chunky, gooey chocolate chips

Boozy Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chips

(slightly adapted from this recipe by Nigella Lawson)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp melted butter

3 eggs

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp rum (optional, but recommended) *

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups milk

6 cups bread (cut into 1 inch cubes) **

120g milk chocolate (roughly cut into chunks)

4 tbsp sugar

* May be reduced by half if you/your guests are feeling wimpy

** Day old or slightly stale (but not rotten) bread is fine

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a large baking dish with the melted butter.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, rum, cream and milk. Stir in the bread and chocolate chips (or chunks). Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Place the contents of the bowl into the greased baking dish. Press the bread into the liquid so that it becomes more submerged and absorbs more liquid. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

4. Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake in the oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Switch your oven to the grill setting and allow it to brown further until the surface is golden and crusty.

5. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard sauce (recipe: HERE).

Opening of Ba'get and a Masterclass

Disclaimer: Winston attended the opening of Ba'get and Masterclass as a guest. All opinions are honest and based on own personal experience at the time.

I had been looking forward to the opening launch ever since I received the invite to go. Being a huge fan of Banh Mi (or Vietnamese - French baguettes) myself, I knew that this place would be just the place for me. Holding a Masterclass also made it all the more fun, especially since I haven't seen so many of my blogger friends for a while. 

The restaurant had a really good vibe. It had a modern and contemporary design, but still contained a lot of homely and traditional touches... 

I especially liked the Vietnamese calligraphy on the wall...

... and also the wooden light poles with bamboo baskets as lamps

To kick off the night, we had their homemade cocktail, the Mekong Breeze... Delish

These grilled meatballs were so tasty as well. I wish I hadn't refrained myself from having more (for fear of looking like a huge pig)

Duy, the owner, giving us all an insight into Vietnamese food whilst sharing his fondest memories of it growing up.

Learning about the history and different varieties of Banh Mi... 

Note: EVERYTHING is made in house here at Ba'get. Cold meats, bread, sauces, you name it...

We learned how to make these pickles as part of the Masterclass. Best part was getting to take home a bottle at the end of the night

The star of the night... The Banh Mi's!

We got to try a variety of them that night, including:

- The Classic Meat Ba'get

- Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Ba'get

- Buddha's Tofu Ba'get

And they were all DELICIOUS!

Then, we got to learn to make our own baguettes too

Unfortunately, someone must have swapped my baguette with a really dodgy one when I wasn't looking. It's the only logical explanation why mine looked so odd, whilst everyone else's looked perfect =)

Still tasted good, though! Taking home the bread we made was a delightful way to end the night =)

On a separate occasion, I decided to come by to try their vermicilli bowls too

The one pictured above was the Grilled Meatball Vermicilli

Also had the Grilled Lemongrass Pork Vermicilli...

I must say that I really enjoyed the rice vermicilli bowls. In fact, there were people at every table eating them too when I was there. Again, the meats here were just so tasty. There was an abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables to go along with it and the sauce was nicely balanced too. I do recommend getting the bowls with fresh chillies for a nice kick. 

At first, I did wonder if there was going to be enough meats in there as it was a big bowl but by the time I got to the bottom, I found the portions to be just nice as I was really full (and happy) by the end of it. Another thing I noticed about the verimicilli bowls here were the texture of the noodles. The ones here had a really nice crunch and bite to them, unlike the soft and slippery ones I've had at many other places. I guess this comes down to a matter of preference, but I did enjoy the extra textural bite I got from these ones more.

As for the baguettes, they were delicious to eat. Great flavoured meats with fresh vegetables (just like the vermicilli bowls) encased in a warm and crusty baguette. These guys really do know what they're doing when it comes to Banh Mi. Why wouldn't they, when it all comes from a place of love and passion. As much as I liked the grilled meats, I do think that they've got something really special going on with their vegetarian option too, which was the Buddha's Tofu. Paying tribute to the temples in Vietnam, the fried tofu came with a delectable sauce and crispy fried leeks (as opposed to onions). They were great and I definitely want to come back just for these. 

Being proprietors of good quality and homemade Vietnamese-French baguettes (that is just as nice to have on the go or at their newly renovated restaurant), I couldn't help but feel that Ba'get is just what was missing from the food scene in the CBD until now. Hope you drop by to give their food a go. Who knows, I might even see you there.

Melting Moments with Passionfruit Butter Recipe

Melting Moments... One of Australia's most beloved bikkies

Ahhh... Feels good to be back in Melbourne! If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that I spent the last few days in Adelaide with my family to attend my sister's graduation. This is the 4th time I've been to Adelaide in the past 3 years and I definitely feel like this was my favourite trip yet. Obviously, it was because it was much more meaningful to celebrate the end of a chapter for my sis (and also the start of a new one) whilst having my family over from overseas.

I got this recipe from Neil Perry's cookbook, "Simply Good Food", which I actually received from my colleague for Christmas last year. So nice of her. To be honest, I was actually surprised by how good this book was. You know how sometimes you have a cookbook, flip through it once, and never actually cook from it? Well, this was not the case. The recipes in this book were actually really captivating, delicious and best of all, simple to replicate. I've actually cooked from a number of the recipes from this book already and everything I've tried have come out quite delicious, including these melting moments.

I'm normally one to stay clear of desserts, but I do have a very soft spot for passionfruit in desserts. It is quite tart but when balanced with the right amount of sweetness, can transform into something rather spectacular. Something about the flavour that just gives a dessert so much LIFE from the very first bite, whilst complementing (or even enhancing) the rest of the elements that it comes with. These babies sure did the trick alright. 

Come to think of it, some of the most enjoyable desserts I've had actually had passionfruit in them. Whether it's a simple Aussie pavlova with passionfruit on top; passionfruit cheesecake; passionfruit vanilla slice; passionfruit creme brulee; and now... melting moments with passionfruit butter too =)

P.s.

I was having a bit of play with various styling and lighting in this post... Any photos that you like more than others? Otherwise, any feedback on how I can improve them would be more than welcomed too!

Melting Moments with Passionfruit Butter

(adapted from a recipe in "Simply Good Food" by Neil Perry)

Ingredients

Biscuits:

250g unsalted butter (softened)

75g icing sugar

zest of 2 lemons (finely grated)

250g plain flour

50g corn flour

Passionfruit Butter:

40g unsalted butter (softened)

80g icing sugar

4 tbsp passionfruit pulp

Icing sugar (to dust)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Using an electric beater, beat the butter, icing sugar and lemon zest until pale and creamy. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flours until combined. 

2. Knead the mixture on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Divide the mixture into 26 pieces and roll into balls. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and flatten the balls with the back of a fork. 

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and light golden. Stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

5. For the passionfruit butter, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until pale and creamy. Add half the icing sugar, beat until well combined. Add the passionfruit pulp and remaining icing sugar, beat until well combined and fluffy.

6. Using a butter knife or a piping bag, spread the passionfruit butter onto half of the cooled biscuits. Top with the remaining biscuits and dust with icing sugar.