Babalu

11 Nov, Saturday, 3 pm
Food Court, Southland Shopping Center

V & D each: 2-curry plate with roti, mango lassi
about $20

The curries were so-so and I can't even remember which ones we chose.

I'm blogging about Babalu because they have the best mango lassis (is this even the plural of that?) I've tasted. Admittedly, my experience with lassis is limited as I've never been to India and have only had them in the Philippines and here. But at $2.90 per glass, the Babalu mango lassi deserves a return visit. Yum.

Eating In

We haven't gone out to eat since my birthday (other than to a food court in the mall. hmm, maybe i should blog about that) which is by my design.

Got sick of eating out so I told D we should eat in until we leave for our honeymoon. Plus, I had a look at our fridge and it was still stock full of food.

It's been good staying in but now I'm getting sick of it. Not because of the food but because of what we do when we eat in. We just sit on the couch while having dinner and watch TV. For 2 to 3 hours a night. Not good.

We really should learn to balance our eat-ins and dine-outs.
I'm not too worried about it now though as we only have 2 nights left in Melbourne! Yey!

Blue Tongue

Ormond Road, Elwood
9 November, 7.30pm
(my birthday)

Entree: Roquette salad, Chips with chili mayo
V: Seafood Linguine
D: Fried Barramandi
Bottle of Merlot (can't remember the name, which is a shame as it was good. came from SA)

Cost: $97 (using Entertainment card, $75)

This is another bar/restaurant which is literally down the block from us. Everytime we pass by, it's always full. D had already tried it once before but it was too posh for his liking.

Since it was my birthday, D treated me to dinner here. It was a bit disappointing, really. The entrees were great (chips were YUMMY and the salad was quite good). Our mains, however, left a lot to be desired. Now whether it was because we already stuffed ourselves with the entrees (another reason we really shouldn't order them) or we waited ages for our mains, who knows. My pasta was quite ordinary and D's fish was OK at best. In addition, the service wasn't all that great either.

After months of anticipation, this restaurant fell quite short of expections.

Would we go back there again? Maybe for a beer or 2, with chips of course. For dinner or lunch, probably not. There are too many good restaurants waiting to be discovered...

Zanini

Ormond Road, Elwood
8 November, Wednesday, 8pm
Takeaway

V&D: Herb, Cheese & Garlic Focaccia, Zanini Pizza, El Greco Pizza
About $34

We've already gotten pizza from this place before. It's really good... The crusts are just right and the toppings (well, the ones we got anyway) complement the dough. The focaccia tastes yum and was value for money.

This place is just on the corner of our street but I was too tired to walk there, so D ordered us some takeaway. Yup, we'd definitely go back there for more. And more...

The Fringe

6 November, Monday, 6.30pm
Acland Street, St Kilda

V: Twice-cooked pork belly, diet coke
D: Curried chicken linquine, lemon-lime bitters

about $38 ($27.50 as we used our Entertainment Book voucher and got 25% off)

This place has a v good location and a cool vibe. Menu prices seemed reasonable. Too bad the food was so-so.

The pork dish was different, I'd give them that, but it didn't taste all that good. The combination with the cabbage concoction was just wrong.

D says the curry pasta tastes like two-minute noodles.

All in all? We might try the place again for breakfast/brunch just to give it one more chance. Maybe.

Kat Bahloo

Since I'm extremely lazy, I'm linking one of my posts from my other blog. It's about a funky cafe on St. Kilda. Kat Bahloo.

Elwood Beach House

5 November, Sunday, 12noon

V: French Toast (with cream cheese!) with extra bacon, skinny cappuccino

D: Pancakes with Mixed Berries with extra bacon, cafe latte

Cost: $32 total

They've renovated the Elwood Beach House (they're calling it ebh now). Before the renovations, D & I would go to this cafe to have weekend brunch. We loved it because of the proximity to our flat, the location (beachside!), the food (yum!) and the vibe (very beachy casual).

Now, after renovations, it's bigger and busier. D & I stayed outside which was quieter, but D says the acoustics inside are so bad. Lots of kiddies now too. Blech.

We also had a loooonnnggg wait for our food (about 30 mins) but one of the waitresses said it was their first busy day after opening so that may explain that.

At least the food was well worth the wait. It was yummy. Bacon may be the best I've had this side of the world. Liked my french toast and D liked his pancakes (although he said that he liked the pancakes i ordered from another cafe more. but that's another blog. if i ever remember the details). Coffee wasn't bad.

All in all? We'd probably come back there since it's 2 minutes walk from our place. We might try dinner next time.

Why?

I've decided to blog about our eating adventures in and around Melbourne.

Mostly to remind myself of the places we've already tried and how the experience was. My memory sucks so this is a good option.

Disclaimer: This blog is personal and relies mainly on my taste. I will not back up any recommendations. No responsibility will be taken for unsatisfied experiences stemming from blog recommendations.