Eat. @ Rubiki

204 Warrandyte Rd, Ringwood (03) 9879 0869

I live and work in the Eastern suburbs, and I've always been jealous of everyone working in the CBD or in the Fitzroy and Collingwood area, who have not just a few, but an abundance of great coffee and lunch places to visit.  That's why I'm extra thankful for Rubiki, which is a wonderful find in the leafy part of Ringwood and a stone's throw away from my work.

The mocha has looked different on different visits, but the quality has been consistent, even with their take-aways, which Hubby is appreciative of when I bring him a coffee to work!

I tried the Herb Encrusted seared tuna with a nicoise salad ($21) for a light (and low carb!) brunch, and really enjoyed it.  The tuna was perfectly seared, the salad was a nice change from the usual greens, and the trio of sauces were good fun!  The poached egg completed the dish nicely.

This week I tried the Rubiki Bacon and Egg Roll ($7.5) and was impressed that it was freshly made, served piping hot and with a good slab of bacon.

I have a feeling I will be a frequent visitor to Rubiki.  See you there!

Eat. @ Kitty Burns

24 Acacia Place, Abbotsford (03) 9427 0164

For our last weekday brunch roulette prior to Little Man starting prep (or as they call it nowadays "Foundation" *why why why?*) we headed down to Kitty Burns. 

This new cafe, like many around Melbourne these days, is on the ground floor or a mid sized apartment complex in Abbotsford.  I'd watched with anticipation as works went under way for the cafe, since we've often utilised the lovely bike path that winds its way along the Yarra past the new buildings around here.

The menu was quite varied, and offered lots of healthy choices like smoothies and raw cakes, as well as the decadent, like the luscious donuts sitting on the counter.  I ordered the Torched kingfish, with kimchi mayo, leek ash, sea succulents, with a roast sesame dressing, edamame beans and Japanese rice. ($22.5)  This is one of the more successful fusion lunch dishes I've had, and it's gorgeously plated.

Little Man shared lots of my brunch as always, but I did order him a Mac n Cheese ($8) off the Kids Under Twelve menu, which he in turned shared back with me.  This is a golden slab of crumbed mac n cheese, sprinkled with more cheese.  I don't think anything more needs to be said about that, and it obviously went down pretty well.

It was a raining and cold summer day, but the bright, cheery and beautifully designed interiors definitely marked a stark contrast to the dull weather. 

Eat. @ Sir Charles

121 Johnstone Street, Fitzroy 3065 ph (03) 9415 7077

Hubby and I are big fans of Axil so it was a no brainer for me to try out Sir Charles when I found out this was their new venture.  We've been here quite a few times and it has become one of the "regular" places we go to for a great brunch when we're not venturing out to new places.

One of the reasons for this is that the space is quite big and they are quite accomodating for our family of five and due to the number of tables we've not had to wait for more than 20 minutes (my limit of waiting for food with young kids!)

We often have our first coffee whilst we're waiting and their mocha ($3.8) is great as you would expect from its pedigree.

The kids love their little carrot cake ($4) and we've ordered this as a "snack" as well as a dessert.

The menu is quite interesting and a strong Asian influence is evident.  I think one of their signature dishes would be the Sir Charles Benedict ($18) with panko crumbed eggs, Sriracha hollandaise and bacon on roti.  The eggs are lovely and the roti is a genius twist to the good old muffin.  The hollandaise gives a tasty kick but my kids find it a tad too spicy so I usually get all the sauce (mwahahaha).

They have changed their menu quite a few times since our first visit and I'm always surprised by their new dishes and not been disappointed.  Some of these have included the corn fritters ...

The most amazing lamb ribs....

A Korean fried chicken burger.......

And a Fish Curry Special of the day.....

I can't wait to see what's on the menu on our next visit!

Eat. @ Red Spice QV

37 Artemis Lane, Melbourne CBD 3000 ph (03) 8660 6300

For my birthday lunch this year with the gang, we ventured to Red Spice Road at QV.  I've been wanting to try their food for ages and I must admit it did not disappoint.

The space at QV was pretty amazing.  The set up is a mix of modern and traditional East meet West.  The tables were spacious and there's a large area upstairs that would cater really well for large groups and small functions.

I had heard so much about the amazing Twice Cooked Lamb Ribs with sticky tamarind sauce ($18) that we ordered 2 serves (thinking that as an entree it'd be quite a small serve, but all the dishes on the lunch menu were surprisingly generous).  No worries, we had no problems putting away all the delicious ribs between the 5 of us, and ribs are super kid-friendly so they were a great choice.  They offered to not add chilli to one of the serves so it worked really well that we got to try both versions!  Mini Me and I both gave them a big thumbs up!

The Pork belly with chilli caramel, apple slaw and black vinegar ($36) was a delicious serve of melt in the mouth pork belly.  The sauce was amazing, I could eat anything covered in it, and certainly went down a treat with bowls of rice.

Lastly we had a Chicken, pomelo, peanut, herb and coconut salad ($34) which was really nice and refreshing.

The only problem we had was that the drinks took forever to arrive despite some prompting.  We had ordered a couple of mocktails which were really delicious an would've been so refreshing with the ribs and belly pork but unfortunately they only made an appearance near the end of our meal.

Overall the meal was delicious and the kids were well treated and we had a delightful family lunch.  25% off with the Entertainment Book did not hurt!  We'll definitely be back again!

Eat. @ Miss Korea

845 Burke Rd, Camberwell 3124 ph (03) 9882 4999

I spotted Miss Korea one day when I was in Camberwell and was compelled to return as we are all still keen on the "Korean Food Wave".

I'm glad I made a booking on that Friday night as I saw quite a few groups get turned away.  We started off with a trio of organic fizzies ($4) and Charlie's honest squeezed juices ($5).

The Korean seafood spring onion pancake ($16) was choc full of greens and was very pretty.  A bit too much spring onion for me but the seafood was visible and delicious.

Mini Me loves Jap Chae ($15) so it's a must order for us.   This one was topped with lots of greens and a good helping of chicken (you can also choose beef or pork).  I would've loved more noodles with it but as a stand alone dish this would make a good dinner.

I loved their spicy pork bulgogi ($16) which came with a good serve of rice and the comforting sweet spiciness that I have come to love about bulbulgi.

The Stone bowl Bimbimbap ($16) is also pretty good, with a good dose of crispy rice on the bottom and plenty of beef.

And last but not least the Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken Tenderloins ($15).  These ones are crispy battered with a delicious soy garlic coating.  We loved this, with soft tender meat covered in the crispy batter and the more-ish sauce.  A must-order dish each time we visit!

Overall it was a great Friday night out.  The meal was delicious, the staff were accommodating for the children.  There were quite a few Korean diners there which is always a good sign.  We will definitely be back.

Toilets - yes
Highchairs - yes

Eat. @ Little Rogue

12 Drewery Lane, Melbourne CBD 3000 ph 0433 739 148

Down Drewery, tucked inconspicuously in a little shop, are a couple of cool coffee chaps that are serving up lovely cups of brew to those who know about this little place.  Bubs and I ventured here after pictures of their beautiful coffees keep popping up in my Instagram Feed.

Their mocha is top notch and I was not disappointed by the beautiful coffee art in a cheery blue cup and saucer. 

As for something to nibble on, Little Rogue gets their goodies from Pop Up Scroll as well as the amazing crepe cakes from Mille & B.  We tried a slice of the pandan and coconut cake ($7) and there might just have been a little bit of fighting over the last bite between Bubs and I!

A true hidden gem of a coffee place in Melbourne!

Eat. @ Pop Up Scroll

86 Smith Street, Collingwood 3066 ph 0433 849 281

The next new "old thing" in sweets has "popped up" in Collingwood in the form of Pop Up Scroll. 

I'm always up for something sweet so Bubs and I dropped by for an early afternoon tea the other day. 

We were served by a couple of friendly ladies with cute little aprons and they were very nice to Bubs.  He generally only likes to lick the icing off the top of cupcakes and has the ability to leave the cake perfectly in shape (eww), but to my surprise he wolfed down the mini scroll and we had to get another  (bigger) one which he again devoured!

The scrolls ($4.5, with mini versions for $3) are brioche based which explains the buttery softness. The original cream cheese is simply tasty and I can't blame Bubs for wanting more!

We bought some more scrolls to take home after our afternoon feast.  The Cherry and Pistachio had a delicious caramel topping that made me want to lick the screen of my camera just from taking a photo of it!

The Cherry, Cream Cheese and Gingerbread was a bit fancier and had a lovely Christmas-y feel to it. 

And last but not least we tried the chocolate and caramel.  Couldn't keep the little fingers from my photos, that's how much they liked it!

Can't wait to go back and try more flavours.  I am inspired to try my hand at making some at home too!