Attitude served cold @ cafe Koukla

Perhaps I should have referred to Urbanspoon before I decided to visit Koukla, because it appears that their level of service or rather lack of, seems all too common a gripe. The same cannot be said of all the staff, but the cashier ruined what was already a run of the mill dinning experience. What sets restaurants apart other than their food, is the service that they provide and Koukla was by far, yards away from meeting the mark.

Koukla, part of the Frangos & Frangos establishment is situated in a beautiful building, shaded by leafy vines. That is exactly what drew K and I in for a spot of brunch, on a sunny Monday morning. We were actually hoping to have a late brekky, but nearing noon we were out of luck. There was a sign at the door, 'staff wanted,' it said and this was definitely true. There were two waitresses at count and the place was absolutely bustling, one poor waitress was looking utterly confused, buzzing around, struggling to cope without adequate support.

Browsing their menu we settled upon a pair of cappuccinos ($3.80 each) and the only two brunch items they had on their menu. K chose to go with the zucchini and corn fritters, with chilli, fried egg, bacon and roquette ($15.90). I ordered Jim's Greek omelette with tomato, potato, red onion and feta, served with a slice of sourdough toast. ($15.90) I also requested a side of avocado, which I found came to a whopping $5.00 for a mere half.

The drinks came first. As far as doing the best in Daylesford, Larder ranked higher in my book, nonetheless Koukla still did a decent cup. The meals didn't take too long to come out, despite the waitresses looking absolutely run off their feet. The omelette arrived sizzling hot in the pan in which it was made, rustic charm at its best. The meals were also more than generous in size, with my omelette being big enough for two to share. Unfortunately, what they made up for in appearance, they lacked in flavour. Both dishes were average, rather bland and I couldn't even taste any fetta in my omelette.

After a rather lackluster meal, we proceeded to the counter to pay the bill. The cashier told us the cost of our meal was $49.70, which didn't quite add up in my head, so I asked her if she could double check. She looked rather annoyed and rattled off two cappuccinos and the two meals we had ordered and then promptly disappeared. When I questioned another staff member about it, she called the cashier over, who looked even more unfriendly than the first time. Without checking the bill, the cashier dipped into the tip money jar and then opened up the cash register and took out some further loose change and gave it to me with a dirty look on her face. Not so much as a word from her explaining what went wrong, or even a sorry. The other staff member (who unlike her colleague, did her best to be helpful) said it appeared I had been charged for someone else's coffee, yet the rude cashier knowingly omitted telling me that I was being charged for 3 coffees when I requested she confirm the order. Furthermore, she still failed to give me the correct change, at which point K and I could not be bothered and just left. We left feeling very annoyed that anybody would deem it acceptable to treat their customers as a nuisance when they themselves were actually in the wrong, and more importantly I do not understand how they could be so up themselves that they wont even dignify you with a response, other than slamming money at you, basically telling you to piss off. 

Koukla was all in all, a failure. Whoever the brown haired middle aged cashier/waitress was, you are a disgrace to the cafe and could benefit from learning some manners. With mediocre food, and service to put you in a foul mood, I'd recommend you spend your money elsewhere.











My Rating: 3.5/10

An offering to the tastebuds @ Araliya

The Araliya mala, more commonly known as the frangipani flower is known for its aromatic fragrance and is often associated with worship in Sri Lanka, and the flowers are used as an offering. Thus, one could expect a restaurant named after the temple flower to also serve up a meal fit for Buddha himself.

Being of Sri Lankan origin and having a constantly burgeoning Sri Lankan community here in Melbourne, it always astounds me how few Sri Lankan restaurants we have. Yes, there are plenty of take away options available if you want some savory rolls or a hot Sri Lankan curry, but when it comes to having a proper sit down dinning experience in an actual restaurant, I could probably count the number of 'proper' Sri Lankan restaurants in Melbourne on one hand.

I'm always excited to find a new Sri Lankan restaurant, in fact I had heard about Araliya quite awhile ago, but it wasn't until U's birthday last week that I actually visited it. U,V, R and I headed to Araliya for a late dinner last Sunday night. When we arrived there were two tables full of people, but other than that the restaurant was pretty empty. We were seated promptly and offered a wine menu, they appeared to have a fairly decent wine list, but none of us felt like any and we settled for lemon and lime bitters instead. R however decided he wanted a tea. He loves his tea (like any good Sri Lankan), so we asked for the drinks menu to see what they had. There were different types of tea but they were the type you could get anywhere else, nothing particularly Sri Lankan at all. I would have liked to see some plain tea with jaggery on the side.

The waiters were friendly but not very attentive, despite the restaurant being quiet. As for the menu, I felt it could do with a few more vegetarian dishes that came with curry, as opposed to being on the dry side. For me there's nothing worse than dry rice with dry curry, just a tad bit difficult to get down!

Having two vegetarians amongst us. We mostly stuck to herbivorous choices, well all but me. I ended up ordering the string hopper pilau with beef ($18.50), which is basically like fine noodles mixed with vegies. U ordered the vegetarian string hopper pilau ($16) and R and V decided to share and ordered two serves of steamed basmati rice ($5ea), a deep fried chilli onion sambol, otherwise known as lunu miris ($4), the pepper fried okra (bandakka) sans the sun-dried white bait, to make it vegetarian friendly ($14) and one of the specials of the day, the pennywort salad (gotukola sambol). The salad consisted of; pennywort leaves, shredded coconut, tomato, onion and lemon juice. I'm not sure how much the salad was, I think it was around the $14 range, but it's not a regularly available option on Araliyas' menu.

I enjoyed my pilau, though U found hers to be too oily. The carrots were on the crunchy side, but they actually added a nice texture, and the spice/chili balance was perfect for me (I requested medium hot). There were a few chunks of beef in mine, but I would have really liked to have a couple more. I also sampled the vegie dishes, to see how they rated. The chili onion sambol being an accompaniment was rather small, but it was divine and it's not even something I normally like. The okra on the other hand was nothing special, not bad, but I have to say my mum makes better. Similarly, my dad makes a mean pennywort salad, Araliyas' version was different to his, with the inclusion of coconut and tomato. I have to admit it worked and it successfully managed to downplay the usual bitterness of pennywort. The serving sizes were average but on the smaller side, yet it was plenty for the four of us.

The food was tasty but not outstanding and it was on the pricier side. Had I tried the meat dishes I would have expected something pretty amazing if I was going to part with nearly $40 for a dish. I can't but help compare Araliya to Elephant Corridor (another Sri Lankan restaurant, located in Glen Waverley). The latter wins hands down and definitely gives more bang for your buck.

Given we stuck to vegetarian options the prices were not too unreasonable, but flicking through the menu, their meat and seafood dishes were well overpriced. The jaggery beef caught my eye, but at $36 looked a little steep, as did the deviled prawns which were priced the same. The desserts were similarly pricy, all ranging between $14 and $15. Though we didn't try any at Araliya, I absolutely love and would recommend you try watalappan, which is a baked coconut custard with jaggery (palm sugar) and if you like cake, you really can't go past love cake.

From Araliyas' website it looks like they have a curry night every Wednesday from 6pm onwards, where you get eight dishes with a glass of premium wine, all for $45.00 per person (minimum 2 people). I think this option may in fact be better value for money if you're itching to try Araliya out.



My Rating: 7/10

Pho and tell @ Pho Bo Ga Mekong Vietnam

I never liked show and tell back in primary school, yes a million years ago, I know. In fact I would do almost anything to get out of it. Life is much easier in this technological era, I can sit on my couch and blog away to my hearts content, share anything I like, with anyone I want. Now it may have been a struggle at age five to write a blog (let alone write a sentence), but I'm sure I would have much rather posted up a picture of my barbie doll and a little description, than gotten up on my soapbox in front of the whole grade.

So now I'm an adult, I've moved on from my show and tell about toys, to much more adult content; food, glorious food! And so my journey begins for the search of a good bowl of pho.

Now I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but after more than half a lifetime living in Melbourne (home to a serious Vietnamese population), I have never, ever before, tasted pho. So no claims from me about being an expert on pho, in fact I'm not even qualified to offer comparisons. But, if I dare say so myself, I'd like to think I have quite an international palate, so if I say it's good, clearly it must be!   

Mekong is a bustling shop right in the heart of the Melbourne CBD and I decided it would be my first pho test subject. R and I decided on an early dinner, so we avoided the queuing up that Mekong is apparently notorious for. Nevertheless the shop was still about 85% full, always a good sign. We were seated immediately, and got straight into ordering. I ordered a cold lemon and honey drink and a medium bowl of char-grilled chicken pho. R ordered a small bowl of the beef and sausage pho.

The drink was an abysmal disappointment, Mekong were more than generous with the lemon, but I could barely taste the honey. The main attraction however was the pho, so I pushed my drink aside and dipped my spoon into the broth. My broth was flavorsome and infused with the smokiness of the chicken. The chicken was cooked through fairly well and there were no bones (which I am never a fan of). However, the quality of chicken used wasn't the best, it had bits of pinkness and darker bits as well. Also the pieces of chicken were just a bit too large, given there were no knives around, breaking it into smaller pieces was not the easiest feat. The noodles on the other hand were well cooked. R enjoyed his beef and sausage pho as well, in fact he devoured the whole thing and left nothing but a miniscule puddle at the bottom. His sausage was nice and chunky and had a liver taste to it and the slices of beef were so finely cut that they cooked in the hot broth almost instantly.

We were also presented with a side plate each of sprouts, Thai basil and lemon and there were communal share ingredients of chopped red chillies and onions (for hygienic purposes, I would much prefer individual servings of these). A range of other condiments were also supplied, consisting of the 'usual suspects' you would find in any Vietnamese restaurant.

It was a tasty, cheap meal and if memory serves me right, dishes range from around $8.50 for a small to around $10.50 for a large. Service was prompt and friendly enough. If you want a nice relaxing dinning experience Mekong is not the place for you, but if you're happy to share a table with a cockroach (yes there was a dead one, belly up on the table next to us) and block out the chatter around you, I think you may in fact quite enjoy this place.

My Rating: 6/10

In Search of the Unpretentious @ Andrew's Hamburgers

Be warned, the images may not be particularly appetizing, but artistry is not what Andrew's is about. Andrew's is a world away from the 'look at me' new age restaurants. It shirks the trends of the gourmet food brigade. Rather, delivering; good, honest, no frills food, packed full of flavor.

No matter how many fancy burgers I've eaten, I'm a bit of a traditionalist, I like them how they used to be. I'm of the school that thinks a burger should be eaten with your bare hands. None of this fork and knife business for me. Well, not unless I'm in a fancy restaurant and the peer pressure of my potentially judgmental co-dinners is far too strong to shake. No balls, you say!

Now Andrew's may look like your average take away shop, but ask anyone who's been there and they will tell you it is so much more. I had to see for myself if all these high praises were justified and that is precisely what lead me to my first encounter with Andrew's. After a busy Saturday morning, finishing off an assignment I'd rather not have had to do, R and I headed down to Albert Park around late afternoon. We came across Andrew's tiny little shopfront, nestled into the Bridport St shopping strip. Alas, it was not our lucky day, we walked in as they were cleaning up the shop, ten minutes too late they said. But one of the older staff said she had saved herself a burger and we were welcome to have it for free, she even offered to cut it in two for us. Such a sweetheart! We politely declined, not wanting to rob her of her lunch, but promised to come back another day.

On our second visit, we did our research and made sure the shop was actually open. Not only was it open, it was packed. Note of warning, make sure you have some cash on you. We didn't, but there are plenty of ATM's available in the area. I ordered the traditional beef burger with the lot ($10.50), as did R. This consisted of egg, bacon, tomato, cheese, onion, lettuce, and a beef patty, all sandwiched between a seeded bun. We ordered our burgers along with a side of small chips ($3.50). Ravenous with hunger, we devoured our burgers from the comfort of our car, right out front of the shop. You'll have to excuse me for my lack of quality photography, they were taken in a dark car with the aid of a sub par camera phone. I suppose it's befitting, just like Andrew's, there's nothing fancy in its representation either.

Andrew's has been around since 1939 and it's not surprising that it's still thriving. Their 'the lot' burger is massive! I struggled to even get my mouth around it and it's just so good, you keep going, even though you know you can't possibly fit in any more. The patty is grilled just that little bit extra, yet maintains it's juiciness and the bun is just right, even Goldilocks would agree. As good as the burger was, the chips were better. I don't even like chips that much, but we ate every last one. They were crunchy, salty and managed to stay that way right to the very last chip. 

Apart from their burgers, Andrew's also do souvlakis. However, with burgers so good, I'm not sure I'll get onto trying anything else.


                

 
My Rating: 8/10 

Wiener Envy @ Massive Wieners

The KO-OP boys have hit gold with their marketing genius. No doubt, the novelty factor alone will drag the inner immature child in each of us to their doorstep. It's hard to ignore the appeal of tagging yourself on facebook, along with your 12 incher and some kind of inappropriate pun. Nobody likes a disappointing wiener, so the question remains, does it deliver beyond its clever name?


Perhaps I've been living in a hole, but I had never heard of Massive Wieners until I saw them advertised on Scoopon. The deal promised two 12 inch hot dogs, cans of drink and sunny boys, all for a meagre $10. I couldn't really say no, especially with the sweetener of a sunny boy. It brought back those school yard memories, lining up outside the tuck shop with my 40 cents in hand, waiting to buy my triangle of sugary goodness.

Finding a time the shop was actually open was the hard part. R and I drove past it several times, tried calling and even checked their website. We were beginning to think our Scoopon would go to waste. Fortunately for us, we eventually stumbled upon their open shop just before our Scoopon expired. Apparently they close much earlier than normal in winter.

Their dogs are all cheekily named, they have three different sizes; the massive wiener @ 12 inches, the average Joe @ 6inches and a little pecker @ 3inches. They also boast a 25 inch competition dog. If you're up for a challenge, see if you can scoff one down in 5 minutes to score a free feed, along with getting your mug plastered on their wall of fame. If you fail, it'll set you back $15 and your face will be up for all to see on their wall of shame.


R decided on the kraut massive wiener and I, the pickle. Unfortunately for R, they were all out of sauerkraut, so he eventually settled for the chilli wiener instead. To our dismay we were informed that they don't do sunny boys in winter, but they did give us free selection from their range of drinks as consolation (mind you, there were only about seven bottles left).

My pickle dog was packed full with a juicy pork sausage, onion, ketchup, American mustard, pickle relish and my addition, jalapenos ($1extra). R's pork chilli dog was topped with beef and bean chilli sauce, onion and American mustard. We shared half of each, they were both delicious but I definitely thought the pickle wiener edged the competition. It was all washed down with a bottle of organic lemon and lime bitters. We left satisfied, content from our scrumptious meal, with full tummies and the wallet with barely a dint in it.

No complaints here about this wiener experience, it definitely delivered more than a one time fling. In fact, I sense the beginning of a promising casual relationship.

 
My Rating: 7.5/10 

Noshing our Day Away @ NSHRY

 

If you're a burger fan and even if you're not, you're bound to have heard of NSHRY. The fella and I started our own little burger adventure a few months ago. So far we've tried; Huxtaburger, Captain America's Hamburger Heaven, Danny's Burgers, Andrew's Hamburgers and finally the famed umami burger @ NSHRY. I have to admit I had sky high expectations of NSHRY, most of the blogs I'd read had glowing reviews, their menu looked absolutely scrumptious and pictures of their umami burger had  the taste buds salivating upon sight.

I have to give it to NSHRY, everything looks temptingly delicious! I ordered the umami burger ($22) and the fella who can never say no to chorizo, ordered the Huevos Rancheros ($22). The burger consisted of  a parmesan crisp, wagyu and angus beef patty, mushroom sauce, caramelised onions, all sandwiched between a perfect looking brioche bun. It came served with a side coleslaw, beer battered chips and a trio of dips. The spicy chip dip and wasabi kewpie really gave the chips a mean kick. The tomato sauce on the other hand was a little out of place, overshadowed by two far superior sauces.

I really, truly wanted to like the umami burger. But I guess it's true what they say about high expectations, the only way is down! There's not much I can fault about the burger as a whole, but in my opinion the beef patty let the entire burger down. To me, it didn't have any flavour and just tasted meaty. As a true carnivore, I love my meat, but the patty fell way short of hitting the spot.



The Huevos Rancheros similarly looked great, the chorizio was yummy, but that's where it stops. Unless you're a fan of beans I would not recommend this dish, once you've made your way through the chorizio, beans are about all you can taste. The chilli sourdough bread served on the side was probably the highlight of the whole dish, as long as it comes with a side of butter (which we requested).

Unlike our meals, the drinks were spot on. The fella had a cappuccino and I had a fresh orange juice. I know we'll be back for the drinks and perhaps too a stroll along St Kilda beach. Even though neither of our meals really rang any bells, for some reason I don't think I should give up on NSHRY just yet.

                                                                                                               

 My Rating: 6.5/10

 

Over the Hill @ Hills BBQ Noodle Shop

One Wednesday night the fella and I decided the best pick me up after a long swim would be a steaming hot bowl of pho. Pho 888 in Box Hill seemed the best place to go, as we really couldn't be bothered driving into the city, let alone Footscray that night.  It obviously wasn't our lucky night, Pho 888, along with most of the other restaurants in Box Hill were already closed. From the slim pickings we had, we decided on Hills BBQ Noodle shop.

Not feeling like a big meal, we ordered a spicy minced pork with noodles and a plate of steamed vegetables with oyster sauce, to share. We asked for a small plate of steamed veggies (which was essentially Chinese broccoli), only to be told they could only offer us a large plate. The meals were very quick to arrive, but that was one of the very few highlights of our meal. The noodles themselves were cooked well, but the overall dish as a whole was difficult to stomach. The pork seemed to be colder than the noodles and the flavour was just NQR, as was the smell. I'm one of those types that generally eats everything on the plate, yet after two mouths full, I gave up. The fella didn't like it any better! The two of us finished off our plate of  broccoli and our Chinese tea and left. The Chinese broccoli was just the way it should be, no complaints there. It was fresh, steamed just right and nice and salty, just as I like it.

Paying for our meal was yet another drama. The cashier charged us a dollar extra for our greens, saying their usual kitchen was closed and they had to make our dish in another kitchen. He also said the broccoli was of the best quality. None of this really made any sense to either of us. Does this mean the broccoli on their menu is generally substandard? Anyway, we parted with our dollar, too tired and too hungry to argue.

My Rating: 2/10