Union Food and Wine

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Union

Union Food and Wine, on Union Street in Ascot Vale, opened recently and one morning Alastair and I were free and decided to visit for breakfast. After we had been seated for a few minutes, I realised that we had been there before. It had been a bistro or restaurant that was obviously forgettable, however I did recognise the room since the skeleton had been kept and just spruced up. It was a good space with the corner location, large windows, and the bright airiness, and it remains so.

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ShanDong MaMa

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ShanDong MaMa

One Friday night, I tagged along with Haz to a fashion event. The sparkling wine was free flowing, there were people dressed in strange outfits, pretty people were having their photos taken, but guess what?

There was no food.

I don’t know why I was surprised – it was a fashion event.

After the event, we were both quite hungry, so Hazzie’s suggestion of dumplings at ShanDong MaMa sounded perfect. Better than perfect.

ShanDong MaMa is a family run business tucked away in Mid City arcade in Chinatown, between Bourke and Little Bourke Street that serves dishes and dumplings from the Shandong Province in China.

There was a brief wait for a table, and by the time we were seated we were starving and ready to eat all the things.

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Storm in a Teacup

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Storm in a teacup

Disclosure: I attended courtesy of Storm in a Teacup and Zilla & Brook.

The story goes that the origins of tea began about 4,700 years ago. It’s said that Chinese Emperor Shennong was drinking a bowl of boiled water when some leaves from a nearby wild tea tree fell in.

What would you do if leaves fell into your cup of water? Would you go ahead it and drink it? Emperor Shennong must’ve either been a very brave or very curious man.

Whether it’s true or not, it’s a cute story. And even if that particular story is just a myth, tea does have a long and complex history. And at Storm in a Teacup, a small tea bar in Collingwood, you can try some of the results of this history.

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Gangnam Pocha

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Mix it cool

Gangnam Pocha opened a couple of months ago on Bourke Street (it’s the restaurant with the cartoon figure who may or may not be PSY) and the interior is a bit strange. I don’t recall what was on the site before, but – judging by the patterned carpet and internal doors with stained glass windows – it might’ve been a pub or RSL.

I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago with Alastair, Haz, and Gaz. Gangnam Pocha’s point of difference from other Korean restaurants (apart from the kpop videos they show on a big screen – videos that don’t match the music piped through the speakers by the way) is that they serve Korean street food as well as other more usual dishes.

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Silks: mid-autumn / mooncake festival banquet

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Silks

Disclosure: I dined courtesy of Silks, Crown and Media Moguls.

In the Chinese / lunar calendar, the mid-autumn festival is one of the most important events of the year. It’s held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar year, when the moon is said to be at its brightest.

One of the ways the festival is celebrated is by eating mooncakes – confections / pastries made with a thin pastry skin and traditionally filled with lotus paste or red bean and often containing salted egg yolk (my favourite part and anyone who does like yolks, well you have no taste thanks bye).

This year, the mid-autumn festival falls on Thursday 19 September. In the couple of weeks leading up to it, there’s a series of events happening at Crown, including a special banquet menu available at Silks.

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Cafe Cui

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Cafe Cui

What’s your thoughts on the best brunch dish?

Smashed avocado?

Corn fritters?

Pancakes?

French Toast?

How about baked eggs? Baked eggs should definitely be up there, in my opinion.

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