Ying Thai 2

YING THAI 2 - 110 Lygon Street, Carlton, 3053

Another one of my favourites: my favourite Thai restaurant in Melbourne :) or as I like to refer it to as: the place with the mouthgasmic coconut rice :P~. I was quite surprised with this place when I first went here especially where it was located and that's in Melbourne's "Little Italy": Lygon street. Didn't really picture Lygon as having good Thai restaurants until I stumbled across this little "groovy-looking" restaurant. The actual restaurant itself looks like it was painted by children with lots of bright fluorescent colours which makes the restaurant feel and look very vibrant, including the table and chairs , not just the walls. Not something you'd expect from a typical Thai restaurant which gives it a more unique feel. 

The size of YT2 is very small so it's better that you come to this restaurant with only a maximum of 4 people (including yourself). Seating is very limited but there are times of the day that are guaranteed to get you a seat. The quiet time for Lygon would be anywhere after lunch until mid-afternoon so 1:30pm-4:30pm ish. Once it gets to 6pm-9pm, don't even bother trying to get a seat unless you want to wait for 20-30 minutes. Like Kaneda, this place also has a very relaxing and chill atmosphere, great for taking a friend to catch up over a meal and the colours of the restaurant will turn your frown upside down ^^. The service here is also very good and the staff are very friendly and attentive and somewhat sociable :).

Now onto the food... The food here is amazing especially the coconut rice. Out of all the Thai restaurants I have been to, I have not eaten a more aromatic and flavoursome coconut rice as they serve here at YT2. The sweetness of the rice really compliments any savoury dish you might order on the side for the rice and one of my personal favourites is the green curry with coconut rice. The curry is also cooked to perfection with the right amount of flavour, texture and a good infusion of spices. The menu consists of different types of curry such as green, red, more spicy curries etc with your choice of beef, chicken or pork for around $12-13 and seafood or duck for $15.50-16. Other items on the menu include noodle dishes including my all time favourite: Pud Thai, which is a stir fry sweet and sour noodle dish with your choice of meat aforementioned for around $12-15 and the entrees/little meals including the salads that can range from $4-12. In addition to the delicious meals you can top it up with a delicious thai milk tea just to make the meal complete.

Overall I would have to say that up to date, Ying Thai 2 is definitely my favourite Thai restaurant and should be made famous for its coconut rice. Next time you pay a visit to YT2, make sure you order the coconut rice with any dish you might order for an extra $2 it's so worth it and have your meal with their Thai milk teas and you will have yourself a great Thai culinary experience :D.

Restaurant setting and atmosphere: 4.5/5
Quality of food: 5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Value for money: 5/5

Overall: 4.75/5

China Bar

CHINA BAR - 235 Russell Street, Melbourne, 3000

China Bar... hmm the only real good thing I can really say about this place is that it's open 24 hours so even after a long night of clubbing or drinking out with your mates you can always stop over for a meal at China Bar. I went to China Bar AGAIN *grunt* not too long ago after a night out with friends and I suggested maccas or some other greasy fast food but majority rules and everyone voted China Bar -_-;. This is honestly one of the worst places to eat at after clubbing or drinking... Why? Worry not... this shall be explained.

First of all if you've been clubbing all night, drinking, sweating because of the dancing or the stuffiness of people in the bar/club, you're quite dehydrated. I know I am... Last thing I want to do is eat food that is high in sodium and MSG and become MORE dehydrated. China Bar has BOTH these, and in excess amounts that it goes straight to my head and leaves me panting like a dehydrated dog. I don't know if it's a special ability of mine and maybe a few people to be able to pick up that MSG taste but my friends are completely impervious to it >_>... I'm just there drinking water from the jug and they're just casually eating like nothing is wrong... NOOBS! This makes the food quality in the poor range for me. Too much MSG just takes the quality out of the food. Anywho that's the main problem and personally my main problem. Mainly because I never finish off any dish I get from China Bar because too much sodium or MSG intake gives me a headache or stomachaches. Waste of money right? My pet peeve... Doesn't help that I'm a cheap asian as well :/

Besides the hoard of MSG in their food you DO get value for money and the service is pretty decent though. Then again nearly every fast-Chinese restaurant gives you a big portion and at a cheap price. You do get your food fast, quick refills of water, some of them actually smile when they take your order. It's also quite spatious and have seating downstairs and upstairs so it's safe to bring your mob there. Quite packed after clubbing hours though so you might just have to wait a little while. The menu consists of a noodle or rice dish with different things added to it. Good variety to choose from. The price is like any standard Chinese restaurant with main meals ranging from $10-15, entrees such as congee and finger food like spring rolls/curry puffs ranging from $5-8.

Overall I would have to say that if I could I would NOT enter this restaurant again and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, unless you're desperate and have major cravings for Chinese food at 4am but personally I'd just stick to a Big Mac :).

Restaurant setting and atmosphere: 3/5
Quality of food: 2/5
Service: 3/5
Value for money: 3/5

Overall: 2.75/5

Kaneda Japanese Restaurant

KANEDA JAPANESE RESTAURANT - 200 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000

Personally I would have to say that of all the Japanese restaurants I have been to in the CBD, Kaneda has rarely disappointed me. My friend took me to this restaurant two years ago and the second I walked into the restaurant I already fell in love with the setting, the decorations and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The door is a sliding door (very Japanese-like) with a red curtain hanging from the door frame and the interior consists of a whole bunch of decorations and a different number of menu items neatly distributed on the walls. The way that they have designed this restaurant does give it a strong Japanese vibe which really caught my interest.

The restaurant size is relatively small so don't rock up to the restaurant asking for like a table of 10 or something. Seating is quite limited so it's probable that you won't even have enough for just you and another friend or two. I consider this place more of a place to catch up with a small group of friends or catching up with someone I haven't seen in a while. The atmosphere is very relaxing so you don't have to yell at the top of your voice to converse to someone sitting opposite you. The service is relatively good, which is to be expected since there is a limited seating area so you'll almost always catch their attention.

Now for the main attraction: The FOOD! The food quality here is good and the portion sizes are good value for money. The price of the food ranges from $5-10 for the entrees, $8.50-13 for the main dishes and the set meals such as the bentos and the hotplate sets come to $12-18. My favourite item on the menu would have to be their bento boxes because there is a large variety that you can choose ranging from chicken teriyaki to shellfish and unagi (eel). Like every japanese restaurant they have a sushi menu including deluxe sushi and sashimi combos to share, especially if you're not feeling hungry or just craving good sushi. The soup dishes here also have a good balance of flavour and unlike some other restaurants where they OD on the flavourings making it extremely salty. I love their miso soup. Always a good start before a main meal.

Overall I would have to say that I am very satisfied with this restaurant. The chill atmosphere where you can take someone for a nice relaxing meal, the quantity for the quality of food and the price makes it affordable even for the cheapos and the large variety of food making this place worth more than just one visit.

ITADAKIMASU! =P~

Restaurant setting and atmosphere: 5/5
Quality of food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value for money: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

About Me/Blog Introduction

Hey everyone my name is Tommy. I'm 22 years old and come from a Vietnamese background but born and raised in Melbourne and currently living in Melbourne. I recently graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Pharmacology. Well that's about enough of an Introduction regarding me. Now onto the blog...

The one best thing I would say about living in Melbourne is that it's a highly multicultural city which means that there is a huge selection and different variety of food at different regions. A big part of my life and one of my main hobbies involves exploring different parts of Melbourne and trying out different cuisines from different restaurants, checking in on Facebook and taking pictures of the food I eat. Some people have found it helpful and use it as a food guide. Others (especially those on diets) think I'm a bitch who likes to taunt people with my drool-worthy food pictures. Not trying to make my friends over Facebook jealous or anything *cough*... Hmm... maybe just a little =P.

Up to date I have checked into at least 300 restaurants in Melbourne (I lost count) and rather than keeping these food photos on Facebook, I decided to start up a food blog as a guide for others who want to know what's good and what's not. I mean who wants to dine in a shitty place and waste all this money? (You'll thank me for the sacrifices). This blog will provide an elaborate explanation on the different factors I believe make a good restaurant and highlight some of my personal favourites with a score out of 5 after each separate criteria has been assessed.

I'm hoping that this blog helps out for all you foodies, dining virgins or those indecisive people who stand around a circle with their friends saying: "What do you want to eat?" "I dunno what do you wanna eat?" etc etc. Save some money, some time deciding and saving you the horror of eating bad food and ruining your entire night. I speak from experience...

Till next time, Eat out <--- Rather than peace out d(^^)b