Taxi at Federation Square, Melbourne

I found a reference to this hip restaurant in an issue of Wallpaper* magazine, and since it was just minutes from my hotel, I decided this would be my first stop in my culinary exploration of Melbourne. I've actually put together my own "One Perfect Weekend in Melbourne" guide after spending a few days sampling the local cuisine and watering holes, but I'll save that for maybe later. For now, I just wanted to rave about Taxi.

I was a little early when I stepped into the restaurant, but just in time to see the last golden rays of the sun setting behind the Melbourne skyline.
Seated at the bar counter, I was treated to the frenzied activity in the open kitchen area and the stream of well-heeled diners making their way in. I ordered a glass of champagne to start, and fresh oysters topped with Ahi and caviar in a Japanese punzu dressing to whet my appetite.
Yum! For the main course, I picked the sesame miso cod and zucchini strips with seared scallops over caramelized red onions. I loved the fusion flavors, fresh modern Japanese seafood yet with a lot of Western influence. There was no room for dessert unfortunately, so I decided a brisk stroll to the next bar was in order.

This was definitely the best meal I've had since arriving in Melbourne a day ago, and I was really looking forward to discovering more delicious local cuisine during the rest of my short stay.


This entry begins a series of fascinating discoveries in Melbourne over several days, and I'm including my "One Perfect Weekend in Melbourne" recommendations here:

Start with a hearty breakfast or brunch at Cumulus, where you taste some amazing blood sausages made fresh. Sit by the counter, take in the natural light streaming through the windows and catch up on your daily reading. If you like food and cooking, check out Books For Cooks, a bookstore for the budding chef and any professional looking for cooking references. Amazing selection of books from everywhere. I bought an El Bulli compendium volume here, couldn't resist. Next, take an afternoon stroll around the city, making your way to Brunswick, Gertrude and Smith Streets for a very interesting side of Melbourne life, part Bohemian, part grunge.

To wet your parched lips, walk into Gertrude Street Enoteca for a glass of excellent local wine and some fresh bruscetta, rest your feet, then head across the street to pick up some amazing toiletries from Aesop, the famous Australian skincare brand. Looking for a place for dinner? Try Taxi, a very trendy restaurant in the heart of Federation Square serving modern Aussie/Japanese fusion cuisine.

If you're still up for more exciting discoveries, take a taxi to Der Raum, voted one of the top 10 bars in the world. Order the El Moroccan Blazer, which takes over 5 minutes to prepare, but well worth the wait. They make awesome cocktails here!

The next day, if you still have time to spare, lunch at Rockpool, a very beautiful restaurant located inside the Crown Casino complex, also in the heart of downtown Melbourne. Order the ribeye, it's charred to perfection and wash it down with a local Chardonnay. Federation Square is an interesting area to walk around, sometimes you can catch art performances in the late afternoon in spring. For dinner, Gingerboy is a modern Asian fusion eatery and always very crowded. Food is not very Asian, but do get a seat by the bar and order several appetizers for dinner and wash it down with one of their house signature cocktails.

Brunch In The Mission Part 2

When I mentioned my delicious find to a friend who lived in the Mission District after getting home, he said he had an even better place to show me. The next morning found us sitting in Bar Tartine, sister restaurant to the famous Tartine Bakery in the Mission.

Tartine Bakery prides itself on decadent, amazing pastries and fresh bread made daily, and being the winner of a James Beard award for Best Pastry Chef, while Bar Tartine served up some amazingly simple but delicious Californian cuisine for the neighborhood urbanites. The country French toast with berry compote was absolutely delicious, made with fresh bread from their in-house bakery.
My friend ordered an egg white scramble with asparagus and cheese and it looked equally tempting. Bar Tartine is yet another San Francisco eatery that forges strong sustainable relationships with the local farms, which ensures a constant supply of the highest quality and freshest selections of meat, fish and vegetables for our dining pleasure.

Between the two of my new favorite cafes, I'd have to say the food at Bar Tartine was a little better than Mission Beach Cafe, but the crowd at MBC was much more livelier and youthful and fun.

Bar Tartine is located at 561 Valencia Street in San Francisco, California. 415-487-1600.

Brunch In The Mission Part 1

I was walking around the Mission District neighborhood in San Francisco last Saturday and stumbled upon this really sweet spot called Mission Beach Cafe. It actually reminded me of another cafe with a similar name in the Mission Beach area of San Diego some summers back. Looking at the menu in the display window, the items seemed very tantalizing and I had to give it a try. The cafe prides itself in serving New American cuisine (I guess that's another name for California cuisine), the kind of stuff I like on a weekend for brunch - scrambled eggs with truffle and cheese, golden potatoes and a fresh nectarine salad, hot coffee and a fresh artisanal bran muffin. Brunches don't get any better than this, usually.

Mission Beach Cafe has been attracting a very strong following since opening a couple of years ago.The cafe is another fine example of why I like eating in the bay area - the use of seasonal, organic farmer's market ingredients that help sustain the local community and provide an abundance of natural flavors at the table. Did I forget to mention the artworks on display? Some pretty neat pieces of urban landscapes that showcase the venue as a community focal point and a distinctive neighborhood institution.

Mission Beach Cafe is located at 198 Guerrero Street @ 14th St in San Francisco. 415-861-0198.

My Pho craving landed me at Cafe Annam

Being still relatively new to Hong Kong and the Central district, I decided to take a walk around SoHo one afternoon to look for something new to eat. More often than not, I end up in a Vietnamese bistro, always searching for that pefect bowl of Pho, the aromatic flavor of Vietnamese spices and beef wafting from a steaming bowl of broth cooked for endless hours and served over rice noodles and fresh herbs.

Ah, that's paradise, but today, I've settled for 2 Vietnamese appetizers and a Vietnamese drip coffee. Besides Pho, I also have a thing for steamed rice paper rolls that are delicately filled with minced pork, mushroom and glass noodle. The Cafe Annam version didn't disappoint at all, the paper thin rolls filled were served with a generous sprinkling of fried shallots and went down so well with spicy fish sauce. I also ordered fresh rolls with prawn, another Vietnamese staple that's available in every Vietnamese restaurant anywhere. These were quite good, but tasted a little dry, and was a little too heavy on the vegetables and not enough prawn meat. I wasn't too hungry (just greedy) that afternoon, so it was best to call it a day.

Cecconi's in SoHo

Been to this modern Italian bistro along Elgin St a number of times, and it's still consistently one of the better ones in the SoHo area. The first time was for lunch. I remember ordering the set lunch that consisted of a roasted garlic soup followed by spagetti bolognese.


Normally, I'd steer clear of bolognese (reminds me too much of Chef Boyardee's microwaved verson), but I'm glad I decided to give it a try. It used to be a favorite childhood meal of mine, and Cecconi's version is definitely one of my new favorites - flavorful yet tender, with a rich, aromatic tomato flavor balanced with the right amount of Italian herbs. All in all, a good deal at HK$108.


The second time I was there I tried the tasting menu which consisted of four courses, at HK$498. I didn't have time to take notes of each of the individual courses as it was a business dinner, but I did recall there was foie gras, scallops, Chilean bass and risotto, and I was very full by the end of the fourth course. The experience was most enjoyable and the fact that my company picked up the tab made it more than memorable. :)

Isola, Modern Italian With A Stunning View

The moment I walked into Isola I was mesmerized by the stark white tapestry pattern of the wallpaper in this modern minimalist restaurant at the International Financial Center in Hong Kong. Perched on top of the 4th floor of the IFC, diners are treated to the spectacular view of the Hong Kong skyline and harbor while dining alfresco on the patio.

My friend had reserved a table a week in advance fortunately, and we managed to secure a waterfront view by the window in a quiet corner of this very busy restaurant. It was Monday, and yet the restaurant was filled to capacity. Big, bold and beautiful, I was told this was still the place to see and be seen in Hong Kong.


Lately, I've been on a gastronomic quest to find the best squid ink pasta dish around, and so tonight I was pleasantly surprised to find a squid ink linguine vongole accompanied by baby asparagus. Naturally, that was my selection for the main course, and I also ordered an arugula and mushroom salad with grapes and shaved Parmigiano.

I have to say both dishes were executed with perfection, it was clear the scenic waterfront views were not just the main attractions at this popular Hong Kong restaurant, the food certainly stands up to a lot of accolades as well. Not to mention the excellent, top-notch service fitting for such a dining experience.

This entry marked the start of a 30 day, 4 country culinary journey that included Hong Kong, Mexico, San Francisco and Melbourne. Stay tuned for more delicious photos to come.

Canteen, possibly the best brunch spot in the city

There's nothing like a good brunch to start the weekend, and today, I discovered how amazing Canteen's food really was. The location is interesting to say the least, the tiny diner is right next to a youth hostel downtown, and so tiny that you might actually miss it if you were in a hurry. The breakfast menu is the main attraction, and the waiting line is usually 30 minutes long. You'll find your standard fare on the menu, but with some fresh touches thrown in. Like the eggs benedict I had - the Hollandaise sauce was light yet fragrant, the eggs very fresh, and the English muffins were so well toasted they stayed crunchy until the very last bite.

I was still hungry after wolfing down the eggs, so I ordered a french toast with berry compote that was probably one of the thickest and best toasts I've had in a while (since Barracks at House, at least). I came away from this dining experience a little delighted (that I found a new place to eat on weekends), amused (by the decor and book selections on the shelf) and slightly puzzled (by the fact that they food tasted very high-end for such a low-end affordable joint).

After some digging around, I found out that chef Dennis Leary was formerly the head chef of Rubicon, one of the city's finest dining establishments. The diner has also been receiving a steady stream of favorable reviews since opening several years ago. Well, needless to say, I'm won over by the food, and Canteen's made its way to the top of my list of favorite places for brunch. I hear the dinner menu's just as amazing, so that's good enough reason for a second visit very soon.