The Pancake Parlour...


The pancake parlour is quite an icon of the Highpoint district and seems to be always busy and vibrant. I have visited a few times and have found the experience acceptable. On my most recent visit with friends I had the short stack and drinks were also ordered. 

It took about five minutes to be seated and a bit more to get someone’s attention to order. A tad too long considering even though the place was busy it was not full at the time. Food came out within about 15-20 minutes which was what you’d expect from a laidback cafe like the Pancake Parlour.

The short stack was good enough and they did supply maple syrup on the tables to drench your pancakes. I was lucky to have a buy one get one free voucher otherwise one short stack would’ve costed $10.90* which in my opinion is over priced. Pancakes are certainly not huge and if you pay $10.90* for the bare minimum then you’d be quite dissapointed. 

The pancaked were cooked properly, but nothing flash for a place that specialises in them. They are not that filling and cannot act as a meal but just a desert. I'm fearing they only taste good because most people let their pancakes absorb 50ml of maple syrup, I haven't seen many people eat them without syrup :/

Drinks ordered were the milkshakes and they were also quite expensive ($8.70*). The size was montrous but honesty just too big too finish, as my friends didn’t finish theirs saying it would be better if they were smaller and cheaper. Regardless how much can you charge for blended ice cream, syrup and ice? 

This place does offer a nice ambience and the booths are a nice addition to the Pancake Parlour. Plus every hour when the clock strikes it will play some music and colourful lights will glow.

In the end, the Pancake Parlour is just too overpriced for a place that serves up cheap sweet food as a quick feed. Service is just acceptable but might need some polishing as well. Staff were friendly though but I don’t if that was enough to cheer up dissatisfied customers, luckily due to the aid of vouchers I was satisfied. I probably wouldn’t return without the vouchers though.

Deserts in Maribyrnong 


In the cinema entrance of Highpoint 
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Short Stack Pancakes with chocolate ice cream & added maple syrup
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My mood: Neutral -.-

Will probably not go back


Won't recommend to others
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Atmosphere: 7.5/10

Service: 6/10

Value: 5/10

Food: 6.5/10
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'Mmm at the pancakes and syrup but hmm at the prices of TPP'

The Hungry Melburnian
August 19, 2012.
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* Prices are by when I last visited this restaurant and may have changed since then.
The Pancake Parlour on Urbanspoon

 
I have been to an abundance of Melbourne food places in the recent times yet which one do I review & blog first.
Malaysian in Flemington
Cafe in the CBD
Vietnamese in Footscray
Chinese in the CBD
Deserts in Maribrynong
Italian in Tullamarine
Japanese in Moonee Ponds

Take your pick and comment on which one I should blog first and a new article will be up swiftly.

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The Hungry Melburnian
August 18 2012.
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Lost your GPS?
In previous articles I lacked the addition of address details. Problem = solved!

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Pho Chu The
Vietnamese Soups in Richmond
Vegie Bar
Vegetarian in Fitzroy
Manchester Press
Coffee & Bagels in the CBD

Andrew's Hamburgers
In Albert Park

Don Don
Japanese in the CBD

Pho Hung Vuong Saigon
Vietnamese Soups in Footscray
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COMMENT on YOUR favourite out of the restaurants mentioned above. More articles will be up soon!
s
The Hungry Melburnian
July 26, 2012.


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Mamasita...


Is situated on the second floor of the high-flying east Collins Street area near Collins Place. The view is tranquil and the mix of a bar and tables caters for the perfect lunchbreak. Mexican dishes like Quesadilas, tortillas and other gourmet food all fill the menu with acceptable prices. Though not cheap, the food is of a great quality and a dining experience does accompany this restaurant.

This place has a staircase leading up to the restaurant that you will probably become accustom to. This is because a queue of people often wait on the staircase as the tables are often all full. We waited about 15 minutes which wasn’t that bad and was worth it as the dining experience wasn’t too rushed.

I first had the de Berenjena taco ($5*) which was filled with eggplant, zucchini and guocamole being vegetarian. It was not oily at all like the type you would get a fast food mexican shop. For main I had the de Pollo Tostadita ($14*) which was a fried tortilla filled with chicken, avocado and cheese. It was delicious and yet again tasted quite healthy.

Service was really good, with meals coming out about 15 minutes after ordering. They also fill up your cups with water without having a jug on the table which added to the dining experience. The restaurant was full on a friday lunchtime and though it was noisy, it was not chaotic and the dining area wasn’t squashed. 

Great for special occasions or group meetings, typically suiting the white collars on their lunch breaks. Granted I’m only a teenager so I felt a bit out of place there but at the same time special.

Mexican in the CBD
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Tortilla Chips with Salsa Sauce ($6*)

Few doors down from Collins Place
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de Berenjena taco (to left) & de Pollo Tostadita (to right)
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My mood: Happy    :)

Will go back!

Will recommend to others!

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Atmosphere: 8.5/10

Service: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Food: 8/10
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'A Collins Street icon that 
flaunts Melbourne's culture with its good food and exciting ambience.'


The Hungry Melburnian
July 26, 2012..
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* Prices are by when I last visited this restaurant and may have changed since then.
Mamasita on Urbanspoon

 
Pho Hung Vuong Saigon 


No mistaking I really enjoy phos and especially now that winter has struck I have been hunting down pho places nearby. Footscray has been full of some great Vietnamese shops and I gave Hung Vuong the first try.

Hung Vuong is a fast food type of shop but has a nice interior and great atmosphere. This place is also busy, and I can see why. I have seen it full at 3pm so when I ate at 1pm I did have to queue up, luckily only for a minute or so. 

There are many tables and by having a wide shop they can utilize a large dining area. I enjoyed the televisions at each end of the restaurant that played modern pop hits, wish I could hear it though. This loud place is kind of chaotic, yet that’s what you’d expect from such a high turnover shop.

Vietnamese In Footscray

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Sliced Chicken & Sliced Beef Pho Small - $8.00*
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Hot tea
Hung Vuong has mostly phos only, they are noodle soups with egg or rice noodles. They do have some entrees and drinks as well. The small phos are $8, medium phos are $9 and large phos are $10. Trust me, anyone with a good appetite will be sofficed with a medium, unless you are seriously hungry. I had the Sliced Chicken Breat Fillet pho and a friend had the Sliced Chicken and Sliced Beef pho. Both were fantastic with rich flavours and a fresh taste. They also supply herbs and beanshoots to add to the dish as well as hot tea on arrival. 
The service is quite speedy with the meals coming out in five minutes after ordering. They do have some communal tables which we were seated at. I was fine with this, though the staff thought our table was one group, yet it was actually 2 seperate groups on one communal table. Due to this I was served someone else’s pho yet luckily I realised that and just passed it across the table to them. Not a huge fuss. Generally, this place has good fast phos and by the looks of it some interesting drinks, will be keen to try the coloured jelly drinks next time. Hung Vuong is very similar (almost identical) to Pho Chu The in Richmond that I reviewed earlier. Both are great places that you can’t go wrong with. 

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Sliced Chicken Pho Medium - $9.00*
Restaurant Character - Fast, good value 
Atmosphere - 7/10
Food - 7/10
Value - 9/10
Service- 8/10
My mood - Ecstatic :D
Will go back

Will recommend to others

Great restaurant that offers Footscray's culture in a delicious and filling soup, take a taste for yourself.
The Hungry Melburnian
July 25, 2012.

* Prices are by when I last visited this restaurant and may have changed since then.
Hung Vuong on Urbanspoon

 
Let's start by concluding I am forever craving Vietnamese food, it's just so good right? I know that Footscray has a lot of great places to cater for this cuisine and I have been striving to try some, yet I have been cut short of spare time. Instead I did manage to get a take away menu from an exciting Pho shop that seems to always to be full of life when I walk past it on Hopkins Street. Hopefully I can spare the time to spend the the dime (terrible punn and rhyme sorry). Anyway below is the menu for Pho Hung Vuong Saigon. I don't know if take-out prices are the same as eat-in. Also this menu is current as of July 21, 2012 where prices may be subject to change. Enjoy!

The Hungry Melburnian
July 21, 2012.

 
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So it's only been a week since I began this blog and to my despair I haven't really been getting much attention. But that's expected given I'm boring and bland, true?
Anyway I'm curious to see if anyone is reading my posts so if you are please leave a comment on this post about anything you want ;)

If you don't know what to comment about, maybe comment on your favourite restaurant in Melbourne and I'll put it on my wishlist, trust me. To the right is an image of an internet crazy dog because let's be honest, this blog needs some vibrancy and laughter. I will be sure to include some in my next posts. Till then, let's hope these posts have a recipient and are not just lost in the mail and never read.

The Hungry Melburnian
July 21, 2012.


 
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Don Don (City)

I found this little gem the other day, that was within walking distance from Melbourne Central. My advice is instead of going to takeout shops in Melbourne Central foodcourts, just opt for this good value Japanese shop.

This little place has about 15 seats and doesn't really have a dining experience, more just a fast-food type of venue. Even though the interior is very drab, I liked the vibe in there, including the rock and dance music they play. And who can complain with the incredibly good value curry dons that are all under $10*.

I had the Tofu curry don ($5.90*) and my friend had the Sukiyaki don ($6.30*, pictured). They were both very filling and delicious with rice, curry sauce and vegetables as well. Other larger dons with beef and chicken were a bit dearer (I think about $7.70*) yet still extremely affordable. I will be trying some of those on my next visit. There are about 10 different dons for sale and that's it on the menu, but that means the turnover on each item is very high.

The most exceptional thing about Don Don is their speedy service. The food was ready in 30 seconds of ordering it! This was the same case for many other customers and that's why it is the perfect idea for a quick lunch in the city. The place can also get super busy during lunchtime, the queue was out the door! But don't worry the queue moves very quickly, and so will I when I rush back there for another quick feed. You can't go wrong with Don Don.

Restaurant Character - Fast Food (Does take-out)
Atmosphere - 7/10
Value - 9.5/10
Food - 7/10
Service - 9/10 (Note: You go to the counter to order and pick up food, though very fast!)
My mood - Ecstatic :D

Will definitely go back!
Will definitely recommend to others!

Fast, simple and cheap food, what the CBD needs more of!
The Hungry Melburnian
July 17, 2012.

* Prices are by when I last visited this restaurant and may have changed since then.

Don Don on Urbanspoon

 
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Andrews Hamburgers (Albert Park)

I have been dying to find the 'best burger of Melbourne' and many people have different opinions of what classifies as a good burger. I don't eat burgers a lot so I don't know if this was the best one, but it probably was cause it was delicious!

I travelled 15km to try this burger and would do it again. The shop has a lot of heritage for the area of the southern suburbs yet it has seemed to spread Melbourne-wide given that the store has been inundated with people eager to travel for a good feed. And why not, as you simply cannot compare these burgers to ones made in fast-food franchises like McDonalds. The difference is the texture of the bread, the beef patty that seemed to have less fat in it, and of course the less processed taste of the burger.

You do have to wait a while for these burgers, given that there is often a queue (I waited 25 minutes on a Saturday evening) but it's better than having them pre-made because at least they are fresh. Prices are not cheap for burgers, the lot burger is $10.50* by itself. Yet they are quite filling, but maybe not filling enough for people with real appetites. I still can't complain though, but I wish they had an eat in area cause it is strictly take away, with the exception of one table. However the small shop is just too short of room to do this, but I think this place should open up more stores to capitalise on Melbourne as we all want a bite out of their famous burgers.

Restaurant Character: Take away shop
Atmosphere: N/A (You don't eat in, yet the store inside is very nice)
Food: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10 (Order and pickup food from the counter)
My mood: Happy :)
Might go back
Will recommend to others

So much culture in one burger, sums up Melbourne's food industry, simple but delicious.
The Hungry Melburnian
July 17, 2012.


* Prices are by when I last visited this restaurant and may have changed since then.

Andrew's Hamburgers on Urbanspoon

 
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Manchester Press (City)

There is nothing I Iove more in the culinary side of Melbourne then little cafe`s that are tucked in small lane ways. It simply sums up Melbourne's famous food culture. For that, I was ecstatic to search for Manchester Press which is hidden in Rankins Lane, that branches off Lt. Burke Street. 

The derelict and sparse laneway was a pathway to a fantastic coffee and bagel shop that turned out to be crowded! The laneway was occupied by a bunch of hungry Melburnians (like myself!) that were waiting for a table at about 1:00pm. The wait was fairly quick which was good, and funny enough they write your name with chalk on the outside wall so they know who is next in queue, very nifty! 

The place was very trendy, with quirky decor and vintage dining tables and chairs. The food proved to be very genuine. The ham, cheese and tomato bagel was delicious. The bagel itself was crispy and not over or under cooked. The ingredients tasted fresh, and much better than the produce I have at home. 

Coffees were just right (for me anyway). Not too hot, not too cold and of course with coffee art when you order the cappuccino. They were $3.50ea*. Service was a good pace, so you could still stay and enjoy the atmosphere without being rushed, yet you didn't have to look at your watch. I can see this place becoming an icon, especially how it has become incredibly popular in such a short time, given it only opened last year. 
Restaurant Character - Trendy Cafe`
Atmosphere - 8.5/10
Food - 8/10
Value - 7/10
Service - 7.5/10
My mood - Happy :)
Will go back!
Will recommend to others!

Perfect meetup place that is definitely a rising star in the Melbourne cafe` industry.
The Hungry Melburnian
July 14, 2012.


* Prices are by when I last visited this restaurant and may have changed since then.
Manchester Press on Urbanspoon

    Hey guys,

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    I'm Jarrod and I hope you enjoy this browsing experience, comments are appreciated.

    I'm trying to go everywhere.


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