The contents of this blog are matters of opinion formed over one more visits. There has been some artistry applied and metaphors and similes should not necessarily be taken literally. All meals are independently paid for - the author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
It’s hardly fair to write a review about a cafe based only on a croissant that they don’t make themselves, but here I am doing so – this site is as much an attempt to drop pins on everywhere I’ve eaten as it is a real attempt to write food reviews.
I had this croissant ($6.80) from Story So Far on the morning of the second portion of a difficult verbal quiz. My morning’s caffeine needs were already met by a white Monster.
I was informed that it was baked buy a husband and wife operation nearby, but no further information was volunteered.
It did what it needed to do and absolutely nothing more.
We don’t eat at a lot of food court outlets, and the ones where we do are mostly out of desperation, rather than out of intention. Rainbow Fried Delights was an exception to this rule. The deep hankering for fried chicken, not satisfiable by their absence from His Boy Elroy’s breakfast menu, led us on a multi-level journey to actually find the location of the Wollongong Central Food Court.
We had the 8 piece boneless spicy chicken ($9.75), chosen strategically as it was one of the only options not available at time of ordering, meaning that we’d get it fresh out of the fryer a mere six minutes after we ordered.
The batter was light in texture as well as light in salting, reminiscent of a Korean fried chicken prior to it being sauced. Indeed, they offer “Korean fried chicken” separately on the menu, though I wasn’t sure how this would differ from what we had. The spiciness of this allegedly spicy chicken was very minimal, though there was an array of sauces on offer for an additional sum.
The meat was predominantly dark meat, with a bit of white meat mixed in. No bony thigh pieces were on offer (the most superior of all fried chicken cuts), and though this meant that Rainbow’s fried chicken was more user-friendly to eat, they did miss out on some optimal flavour.
Overall – consider adding to the rotation, for a less salty alternative to Chicko’s, but be aware that it’s not 1:1 comparable. I’m still searching for something to live up to the fried chicken I had on campus at uni in 2012.
This beef jerky was very thin and crispy, with a natural-tasting beef flavour, a little salt, but not much else in terms of seasoning – generally flavoured in more of a Western style compared to most Chinese jerkies. Allegedly spicy but imperceptibly so.
The thinness, allegedly at 1mm a slight, I thought was a bit overboard, in that it actually became sharp enough to be uncomfortable when poking the oral mucosa.
I had two things from Wok N BBQ tonight, purchased on the way home from visiting a friend and with the express intention of eating it slowly over the next few days. “Groceries”.
The crispy pork ($42/kg) had a good crisp to its crackling skin and a good mixture of fat and lean meat, as well as some soft bones which my partner would’ve enjoyed had she been around, however I felt it was unfortunately oversalted.
The soy chicken ($17 for half) was conversely undersalted, even when fully dipped into the sauce, though this was made up for but not balanced by the quite salty ginger and shallot mix. The texture was tender and silky, which is a plus.
Overall I did not feel that Wok N BBQ provided an exemplary experience and will hesitate to go back given multiple other superior options in the vicinity.
I really wanted to go back to Agathe a couple of weeks ago when I was in Melbourne for a quiz, but between cramming, spiralling, and Agathé’s rather tight opening hours I sadly wasn’t able to. Spanish bakery La Colmena is where my (local) friend and I settled with in the end, after taking into consideration my bakery desires, our relative starting locations, and the limited time I had before flying out (flight was delayed 2 hours, but I didn’t know this at the time).
The basque cheesecake ($14) we shared was pretty good, although sweeter than I would’ve liked. The texture was very nice, probably the best I’ve had, with a creaminess on the outer layers and a very gooey centre, although I think weighing up the strengths and weaknesses I probably still prefer one I’ve had at a Korean bakery in Sydney that offers a less sweet option for the Asian palate.
The flor manchega ($6) was extremely whatever – essentially thin, multilayered crispy pastry, dusted with sugar and with a bit of an aniseed/liquorice flavour. It is apparently culturally significant, but there are definitely other pastries out there that both have a rich history and taste interesting.
Maybe we just didn’t order the right things?
La Colmena Prahan Market, 163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
