Hakataya Ramen is listed on Gourmet Traveller's best ramen picks across Australia. Whilst we were up north, we decided to give Hakataya Surfers Paradise store a try; the original Hakataya is located in Sunnybank, Brisbane. Mr Curious is a ramen lover, so when I suggested we go for a bowl of ramen rather than eat at the very expensive Palazzo Versace restaurant where we were staying, he jumped on it grabbing the car keys and me down the hallway. 

I ordered the Nagahama Ramen - Japanese pork noodle soup, the tonkosu broth was flavoursome and medium bodied, with thin slices of soft charsiu pork on top it comes served with Hakataya's takana (spicy Japanese pickles) on the side. The noodles were thin and al-dente.

Mr Curious ordered the Char siu-men - Japanese pork noodle soup with extra pork. Hakataya also have a free serving of Kaedama, additional noodles. Mr Curious sat there smiling, enjoying his bowl of ramen with extra noodles and extra char siu (I forgot to take a picture, but it looks like mine with the top of the bowl covered in char siu). 

Hakataya Ramen has quick service, and no nonsense menu and furnishings. With free kaedama it's a  good place to fill up, with a tasty broth and yum sides to pair with. Mr Curious still likes Gumshara in Sydney, but for those who enjoy a lighter tonkotsu broth, Hakataya would suit.

Hakataya Ramen (Surfers Paradise)

Shop 26 Centre Arcade

3131 Surfers Paradise Boulevard

Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

A trip to Sydney was never without a stop to Adriano Zumbo's famed store. It has been a few months since Zumbo has opened in Melbourne, however it is still ever popular for Melbournians to get their sugar fix with cronuts, macaroons and pastries made daily. 

With mini cakes on show, you'll be tempted to try them all and roll out to door. This post will be more food porn that descriptions, because you'll just have to go in store yourself and give them all a go! Just remember to wear some elasticated pants so you don't have to awkwardly adjust your belt buckle.

Their menu changes every few weeks, so you'll never get bored of their selection on offer. Zumbo has a knack at creating amazingly quirky flavours and textures that magically meld in your mouth. We tried the lemon meringue tart, and we were blown away. I'm not sure what lemons he uses, or how he manages to make the meringue silky smooth, but it is delicious. Not too cloyingly sweet or sour, Zumbo's lemon meringue tart has the perfect balance in flavours.

With pate friable base, lemon curd, lemon gel and Italian meringue piped to a gorgeous rose who could say no to this beauty?

It must have been the first or second season of masterchef that Adriano brought the mind boggling V8 cake - eight layers of gels, dacquoise, chiffon and ganaches (if you're curious you can even give it ago here). This time no V8 to try, but the next best thing - Dr Dot! Layers of chocolate sable, white nougat, roasted cocoa nib creme bruelee, raspberry vinegar jelly, gianduja mousse and dark chocolate glaze. 

The obligatory dissection of Dr Dot, filled with a great combination of flavours, this was another winner.

Adriano Zumbo's in South Yarra also have a selection of pastries including croissants, danishes, muffins, kugelhopf, palmiers, sticky buns and sugar lips. 

Adriano Zumbo Patissier is like a grown ups candy factory, filled with delicious flavour combinations to choose from. 

Adriano Zumbo Patissier

12-14 Claremont St

South Yarra VIC 3141

Ordering is done via an ipad at each table. Easily scrolling through the various menu items including fresh sashimi and sushi, bentos and noodle dishes sometimes it's hard to make a decision. However, I am a lover of sashimi, so I don't stray very far in my choice each time I dine at Shyun. The dish of choice - Chirashi.

Chirashi sushi essentially is a bowl of sushi rice topped with a variety of sashimi and garnishes ($18.50). Usually with salmon, tuna, eel, prawn, tamago (egg), squid, and kingfish. With the option to add extra rice for $0.50, if I'm feeling extra hungry it's good for filling you up.

Mr Curious is a man of variety, he chose the tuna on sushi rice. Diced tuna seasoned with wasabi and soy, it came reasonably seasoned. However, my mum has ordered it previously and it was too salty, so tread with caution.

Another cold Melbourne weekend hasn't put Mr Curious and I off taking a Saturday drive through the streets of Collingwood to find something to fill our hungry tummies. I had spied Admiral Cheng Ho several times before, and it was always bustling with plenty of customers at all times of the day, rain, hail or shine. The menu has a wide selection of gluten free and vegan dishes, a generous single origin coffee menu, and fair-trade teas and standard coffees.

The furnishings are a eclectic mix of timbers and recycled materials, with the stools adorned with old Australian pennies from before the dollar days. We sat along the bench facing Johnston Street, and enjoyed the warm sun rays as they peeked through the clouds.

I started off with the Admiral's House Made Organic Hot Chocolate made with raw cacao and coconut sugar ($4.50). It isn't like your thick bodied, rich hot chocolates, instead it was creamy and had a light nutty flavour.

Mr Curious ordered the Umami Mushrooms with slow roasted king oyster, shitake, oyster and swiss brown mushrooms on a house made pumpkin, spinach and sundried tomato polenta bread, served with organic almond feta. He described the dish as creamy, but not too creamy, and the fried shitake mushrooms had a nice woody flavour to it. The other mushrooms in the creamy sauce were very juicy and flavoursome. The polenta bread was dense, but once it had soaked up the sauce, it complimented the mushrooms and organic almond feta very well. 

I chose the Northside Quinoa Pancakes made from organic quinoa flour, served with candied orange, Lotus Solkiln Geisha coffee soil, raw vanilla cream and maple. The raw vanilla cream was coconut cream with plenty of vanilla bean throughout. The quinoa pancakes are heavier than your standard pancakes, but are still light and yummy. The candied orange had intense flavour that suited the pancakes and raw vanilla cream well.

The dish is best eaten with all the elements together, a little bit of quinoa pancake, topped with some raw vanilla cream, a dip of maple, and a sprinkle of the coffee soil and a piece of the fresh crunchy pear allowed each mouthful to be a flavour opera in your mouth.

Warm and cosy, Admiral Cheng Ho was the perfect place to fill up on delicious wholefoods with plenty of vegan and gluten free options available. The staff were friendly and accommodating to our seating requests, and the portions very generous in size and well presented.

  

Mamak began its humble beginnings at it's first store on George St, Sydney. Where several years ago on a family trip we drove through chinatown looking for food and spotted the already hugely popular restaurant. After trying their roti canai, it was declared by all that this was probably the best roti we have had outside of Malaysia. Mamak has expanded to share it's roti canai love to us Melbournians.

This review is long overdue, as we have been many, many times since it's opening, even getting there early on the opening night for dinner, just to get a taste of that flaky roti canai we know so well. 

If you ever do give Mamak a go, whether it be in Melbourne or Sydney, you can't go past the roti canai. A single serve of flaky-crispy-not-too-doughy roti, with a serve of sambal, fish curry and vegetarian lentil curry sauce to dip that delicious roti in. Eating the roti, should be done the traditional way with your fingers, just like pizza, using your hands makes it taste better. 

Another favourite is the roti tisu, a single layer of roti lightly toasted to form a crispy thin cone, sprinkled with sugar, and condensed milk on top. It's actually on the roti section of the menu, but it's almost a dessert in it's own right. 

It's fascinating to watch the guys make the roti, tossing the dough and stretching it to levels of thinness that no rolling pin could achieve. Mamak offers dishes that hit the spot in terms of flavours that are similar to those in Malaysia, at a very reasonable price. The roti is a must try

Wonderbao is a little hidden gem in Melbourne, down the hall of the building, opening out into an alley way. I did have a big of a struggle to find the place. However, I was not disappointed with the bao's there though. With a small selection of bao on the menu, Wonderbao reminds me of the Momofuku-esque pork belly bun famed by David Chang. Though these buns can be found on the sidewalks of many Asian countries, these have just gone a little more refined.

Braised pork belly gua bao and Roast pork belly gua bao.

The braised pork belly bao is wedged into the soft pillowy bao and topped with pickled mustard leaves (a staple condiment in Asia) and crushed peanuts. The braised pork belly is soft, however in terms of pork belly softness, not the softess I've tried so far, it doesn't melt in your mouth as the Momofuku one does. The roast pork belly is topped with cucumber, pickled carrots, daikon and hoisin sauce. I must admit that anything with hoisin sauce gets extra points as I love that stuff, and this bao had more rounded matching flavours which I enjoyed a lot more.

In terms of bao, it is soft and has a good texture, maybe a tad on the sweet side. For those stuck in Melbourne and can't get to Momofuku in Sydney, then this is the next best thing.

Gelato Messina has had an almost cult status following in Sydney and have finally opened in Melbourne. They make everything in house from raw ingredients and it really shines through in their flavour offerings. This is just a little sample of what I've tried so far. A new favourite ice cream joint to visit.

The almond croissant was light, flaky and filled with an almond frangipane-like filling. The buttery texture was lovely and wonderful.

I'm not too sure why I didn't pick up the briont (a cross between a brioche and a croissant), but I know I will definitely be back to try more! With lovely staff and positioned just on the corner of Russell St and Little Collins St, it's the perfect place to sit back have a  pastry and coffee, and just watch Melbourne go by.

Brioche By Philip

114 Russell St

Melbourne, VIC 3000