Vegie Hut - Box Hill - review

 Name: Vegie Hut

Address: 984 Whitehorse Rd 

Box Hill, VIC 3128

03 9898 2287

Food: Chinese, Vegetarian, Vegan, Buddhist

We ordered: (take away). Vegetable Spring Rolls

These were some of the tastiest spring rolls I have had, but the pastry could have been cooked a touch more.

Salt and Pepper chicken

Incredibly spot on texture wise. Reminiscent of KFC's popcorn chicken. These were still nice the next day.

Chicken Nuggets
Mr.M exclaimed these were some of the best chicken nuggets he has had so he enjoyed them. I never liked chicken nuggets back in my meat-eating days so these weren't to my liking.

Pad See Ewe
Unfortunately this was too bitter for me and the noodles quite gluggy. I wouldn't order it again.

Lemon Chicken
Probably the least spot on in terms of texture but others a fairly good replica of lemon chicken. Funnily enough, despite chicken being the only meat I used to eat I didn't enjoy the faux versions, they tasted too much like the real thing and meat just doesn't taste great to me. Hubby enjoyed it more as it didn't have that chewy, poor meat quality taste you sometimes get from the real deal. (pictured without sauce).

Crispy Duck
As you can see I accidentally poured the lemon sauce over the duck. That aside I couldn't eat this as it just tasted too much like meat and duck was one of those meats I never tried as I couldn't bring myself to eat a duck. Hubby said it tasted extraordinarily similar to the real thing.

Veggie dumplings
My favourite dish of the night.

Website: vegiehut.com.au

Hours: Closed Tuesdays.

Would I return: Yes. Great place for vegetarians/vegans - it would probably fool most meat-eaters too!

Wunderbar - Rye - review

Name: Wunderbar

Address: 2409 Pt. Nepean Road
Rye, VIC 3941
03 5985  9187

Food: German, European

Average price: $4 - $34.

Complimentary:  Nothing,

We ordered: Langos - $7.50
hungarian fried flatbread, served with sour cream and grated cheese

This was our favourite dish. The bread was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. It was decadent and yummy with the sour cream and cheese. It's not gourmet but it's still yummy, trashy food.


Mozzarella, pear, prosciutto, honey - $13

We were surprised at how nicely this was plated up. Mr.M liked it but I found the pears to taste rather 'old' and grainy which was a shame as the other ingredients were fresh.


Thick cut chips - $7

Nicely cooked chips that were well seasoned.

Apfelstrudel - $12
with vanilla sauce and whipped cream

I love Apfelstrudels and unfortunately this one was the worst I have ever had, two mouthfuls was all I could eat. The pastry was tough and the filling was tasteless. The accompaniments were no better with the sauce tasting like sugar and cornflour and the cream like water.
Service: Good. We were the only patrons in the place so it is a bit hard to tell what the average service would be like.

Atmosphere: European pub with a view of the ocean. I can't comment on the atmosphere as we were the only people in the place so it was deadly quiet when we dined, but they have lounge areas as well as tables with board games to play as well.

Website: http://www.wunderbar-rye.com.au/

Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 4pm till late
Friday and Saturday: 12noon till late
Sunday: 12noon till 11pm
Tuesday: closed

Would I return: Yes, the langos and chips were nice enough and cheaply enough priced to warrant another try.

Picknics Cafe - Rye - review

Name: Picknics Cafe

Address: 2285 Point Nepean Hwy
Rye, VIC 3941
03 5985 6025

Food: Cafe,

Average price: Under $15

Complimentary:  Nothing.

We ordered: Homemade blend of dried fruits and nuts, oats and puffed corn which was oven toasted with maple and vanilla. Served with milk, natural yoghurt and cinnamon rhubarb

This was a really lovely cereal blend and the compote was also well spiced and delicious. I also appreciated the large serving size.

Porridge with rhubarb and sweet dukkah. 

This was OK, but once the topping ran out it was a little bland.

Burger

Mr.M said this was OK but rather hard to fit in one mouthful.


Eggs with bacon

Mr.M said  the eggs were cooked well but wouldn't order it again.


Orange juice

Mocha

Service: OK. The waiters were friendly but the food took a long time to come out on both days.

Atmosphere: Beachy casual. Lots of fishing nets, oars, harpoons and empty bottles line the walls. The atmosphere is your standard bustling cafe, this place fills up quick. It is dog friendly so if you sit outside you will be sitting amongst the pooches, which normally I would love, however on our visit we sat beside a very gassy Jack Russell...

Website: None.

Hours: Daily 6am-4pm

Would I return: Yes - as there isn't much else around.

Scorched - Torquay - review

Name: Scorched
Address: 17 The Esplanade
Torquay, VIC 3228 
03 5261 6142

Food: Middle Eastern, International

Average price: $4-$34

Complimentary:  Zeally Bay Sourdough sticks,    dukkah    spice    &    “Camilo”    extra    virgin    olive    oil   

We ordered:
Salt cod fritter and aioli - $4 each

Mr.M: These were not the best salt cold fritters I have had. They were OK.

Fried school prawns, chilli salt and lemon - $12

Mr.M: These were delicious and quite a generous serve.


Baked haloumi, spiced baby figs, walnuts and mint - $12

This had all the components to guarantee a delicious dish and as I expected the combination of salty, sweet and crunchy was a winner for me.

Roasted cauliflower, currants, almonds and tahini - $16

We were told this was one of their most popular dishes. Unfortunately this suffered from excessive salting. Before the salt burned my tastebuds to oblivion I could detect a possibly lovely flavour profile, but I cannot be sure. Even after copious amounts of water whenever I went back for another mouthful I was hit with another wave of salt. Shame.

Fresh fig, cracked wheat, pomegranate and Persian feta - $16

This should have been grand with the classic flavour pairing but despite the heavy flavour hitters I felt it was slightly dull, nothing really 'popped'. Maybe some seasoning or some more acid was needed?


Fattoush salad with crisp pita, tomato, cucumber and  mint - $16

Another dish lost to the overzealous salting. This was even saltier than the seawater in front of us. Couldn't eat it.


Lamb kofta, hummus, tabbouleh - $18

Mr.M: Kind of boring and oversalted.

Dessert platter: (from memory) Persian fairy floss, rosewater turkish delight, strawberry ice cream, berry trifle, baklava

I cannot remember exactly what everything was but I can remember the impression they made.

We will start with the bad - the baklava. Very dry and personally hsould have been left off the platter.

I'm not a fan of fairy floss (no substance) but Mr.M ate it all.

Neither of us had the turkish delight (I love it, but as a vegetarian I no longer eat gelatin).

The ice cream was AMAZING - and I say amazing because I really am not a fan of ice cream (the cold temperature makes it less appetising for me). This was creamy and full of flavour with a lovely softness. Mr.M enjoyed it as well.

Saved the best for last, the berry trifle. I can't quite remember the flavour combination but it was a great dish and Mr.M and I devoured it in seconds.

Service: Good. The food came out quickly and the waitress was very nice.

Atmosphere: Beach casual. The decor is accented with bright orange and the outdoor seating is a typical wooden picnic table and bench, communal style. The noise level can get quite loud at night. There is a lovely view to the beach during the day.

Website: http://www.scorched.com.au/index.php

Hours: Wed-Sun 11.30am-5pm
Wed-Sat 5.30pm-late

Would I return: Yes, I think it was just an off 'seasoning' night and the food has potential to be great.

Loquat - Sorrento - review

Name: Loquat

Address: 3183 Point Nepean Road Sorrento, VIC 3943
03 5984 4444

Food: ModOz, Mediterranean

Average price: Entree: $8-$15, Mains: $19-$32, Dessert: $8-$14

Complimentary:  bread with olives and butter.

We ordered:
Entree: Red Hill 'goat cheese souffle, pear salad, beetroot and ginger puree 

This was really lovely. The flavours complimented each other and it was well executed.

Dill & vanilla cured king salmon with tangelo, nasturtium, red onion & crisp capers 

Main: Pork trio balsamic glazed pork belly, sous vide fillet, pork & sage sausage, red cabbage & cider braised apple 

Pasta with vegetables

I was quite surprised at how tasty this was, and then delighted at the generous serving size.


Dessert: callebaut chocolate fondant, honeycomb, orange ganache, blueberries w vanilla icecream

Pretty good fondant with a nice oozy center.

Yellow peach creme brulee, with yellow peach ice cream and honey snap wafer

This was the let down for me. The crust didn't have that wonderful crack and the brulee was rather tasteless, like a very plain flavourless custard.

Service: OK. 
Whilst the waiters were very friendly we resorted to getting up to refill our water and the food towards the end became slow to come out.

Atmosphere: Cosy with dark tones nestled amongst loquat trees. Fairly casual vibe.

Website: http://loquat.homestead.com/index.html

Hours: Winter Thu-Sun 6pm-10pm
summer Mon-Sun 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Yes.