Beesket

I was so excited to discover Beesket just down the road from our hotel in Seoul – I love a good smoothie generally, but Beesket has such a fun concept it takes the whole experience to the next level. When you arrive, you choose whether you want a smoothie, ‘ade’ or yoghurt, and pick up a little container with spaces to fit three hexagonal pieces (like a beehive/honeycomb), representing fruit or vegetables that you would like in your drink. You can then roam the wall, looking at all the colourful pieces trying to make your flavour combination. My favourite ended up being peach, orange and raspberry, but you could pick anything from tomato to grapefruit (although probably not recommended together). The cafe had lots of seats while you waited for your beesket, which you received along with a little card showing your flavour choices and their nutritional value. You could put your combos up on a pin board in the store to recommend them to others. Note: when researching this post it appears the branch I went to is now closed, but other locations are up on their website.

Beesket, 73, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (this branch now closed)  http://www.beesket.com

Shimbashi

I visited Shimbashi once in 2012 and remember a) the restaurant not appearing to have a name and b) the amazing soba they served. On this visit, I ducked in for a late lunch (last orders are 2:30pm) and was reminded once again how fantastic simple Japanese food can be. I ordered the teriyaki salmon special, which came with a rice bowl topped with lettuce and salmon, a small bowl of pickles, and a serve of soba. I ate the salmon first as the hot dish (I’d chosen cold soba), and was surprised at how large the serving was. The teriyaki sauce was sweet and rich, and was just the right amount to coat the perfectly cooked fish and most of the rice. I dipped the lettuce in the small salad I’d received on arrival to give it some dressing, which complemented the pickles nicely. The soba was equally delicious, with spring onion and seaweed to add extra flavour. The noodles were obviously handmade and had a great springiness to them which sent me straight back to Japan. Simple, delicate and authentic Japanese that I will definitely be coming back for.

Shimbashi Japanese soba and sake bar, 17 Liverpool Street, Melbourne VIC     http://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.net/

Royal Copenhagen

Hello #icecreamthurs! Glenelg has so many dessert options that it can be hard to choose – showing friends from Canberra around, they asked which of the icecream options was the best. I hadn’t had icecream down there for a while (usually opting for fondue), so picked Royal Copenhagen hoping that it would pass muster. Luckily, it did. I chose a single scoop of the Vanilla Meringue, Passionfruit and Raspberry icecream, having never come across this flavour before. It was a good choice – the icecream was beautifully creamy, the sweet vanilla meringue flavour was clear and well complemented by the tartness of both the raspberry and the passionfruit. My only criticism was that the meringue flavour seemed to fade the more you ate, but this is a fairly common issue with icecream. It didn’t hurt that they offer self-service toppings, including sprinkles and nuts – I added plenty of the latter to mine! We also had donuts to share, which came out piping hot and well dusted in cinnamon sugar. They were lovely and soft and I could have happily devoured several more. Royal Copenhagen didn’t disappoint!

Royal Copenhagen Icecreamery & Dessert Bar, 15 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA

Elk and Pea

Elk and Pea isn’t the first place I would think of for dinner, but when a friend wanted to try somewhere different to eat, off we went. We got a table without a booking easily on a weeknight and ordered a plate of wedges and the jerk chicken to share. This turned out a) to be an excellent decision and b) to be a heck of a lot of food. The wedges were beautifully presented, covered in corriander, tomato, cabbage, radish and sour cream (hello!), and drizzled with lime, they were scrumptiously soft and we couldn’t help but graze on them all night. We were warned that the chicken could be a 45min wait, but it came out in about 20mins and was visually very impressive. The chicken was hidden under a mountain of fresh salad, with cucumber, radish, carrot and cabbage, which was so light and contrasted the rich jerk chicken perfectly. The chicken itself was melt-in-your-mouth tender and is by far the best chicken dish I’ve eaten at a restaurant anywhere. Even better, underneath was the most delicious almond puree – denser than mash but very tasty. There was a fight over who got what for leftovers. I will be back!

Elk and Pea, 21 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT                http://www.elkandpea.com.au/

Reuben Hills

Surry Hills is definitely Sydney’s Braddon (read: hipster central) and as such has more cafes than you can poke a stick at. Chosen for their unique menu, I met a friend at Reuben Hills to try a South American-themed brunch. It turned out that my friend had already visited once before, and recommended the ‘NOT Reuben’ – their take on the reuben sandwich, which is a favourite of mine. Meal decided. We also both ordered the cold pressed juice – beetroot, carrot, celery, ginger, lemon and apple – which came out quickly in a large glass with a wedge of orange, and felt very healthy to drink. The NOT Reuben arrived in a plastic tray (diner-style) and was huge! I only managed to finish half of it, but it was a scrumptious half. The brisket was crusty and thick but melted in your mouth, and the pickled slaw was packed in, fresh and crispy. Without a doubt the horseradish mayonnaise brought the whole thing to life and the rye was gently toasted = perfect. They also kindly gave me a takeaway container for the other half. A thoroughly lovely place to enjoy a lazy weekend morning.

Reuben Hills, 61 Albion Street, Surry Hills, NSW    http://www.reubenhills.com.au/

Lilotang

Dinner at Lilotang was a fine dining experience. Yes, it is pricy, and yes, the portions are small, but if you go in with that expectation, you will be in for a treat flavour-wise. My friend and I started with the avocado, okra and tuna sashimi ‘small plate’, which had just the right amount of wasabi to coax the best out of the delicate tuna cubes. Next was the umami vegetables served in an orange pot, which was my favourite dish – it took me right back to Japan. The vegetables were roasted to perfection, but what made this plate special was the miso sauce and the infused orange flavour that came from being served in a hollowed-out orange. Magic. Next we tried the chicken thigh and wagyu beef robata – both were incredibly tender and had a lovely charocal flavour. Round two of small plates was the baby octopus salad – perfectly balanced flavours – and the kara-age quail, which had a citrus and sesame sauce that was to die for. We finished with the snapper sashimi, which was fresh and just the right note to end on. A meal at Lilotang is all about the flavour – treat yourself!

Lilotang, Burbury Hotel, 1 Burbury Close, Barton ACT                                  http://lilotang.com.au/

The Dock

I organised a dinner/drinks event for a group of 20 and was delighted that The Dock could cater for a group this size, as I was really keen to try their food. Their nautical theme suits their Foreshore location, and includes barrels, rope and wooden furniture for the total seafaring look. The menu has plenty of pub favourites – pizza, schnitzel, burgers, fish & chips etc. – and a selection of ‘Docktails’ to drink. I went for the burger – Angus beef, with cheese, pickles, bacon and egg and ranch dressing. The food came out very quickly and I was impressed at the serving size. The chips that came with the meal were incredible – they had a thin crispy outer with soft-to-perfection potato inside, and were really tasty, even without the tomato sauce. The burger bun was a thick sourdough roll that you would expect to get from a good bakery, and whilst this made it a bit hard to eat, it added great flavour. The beef patty was densely packed and quite heavy – no chance of leaving hungry – and the ranch dressing was a real highlight. The streaky bacon and fried egg rounded it out nicely for a good value pub meal.

The Dock, 7/81 Giles Street, Kingston ACT 2604                  http://www.thedockkingston.com.au/