Melbourne 5 - Dinner at Warra Warra

Warra Warra Korean Kitchen
http://warrawarrakitchen.com.au/

After one failed attempt to meet my friend Doc for brunch (I simply couldn't wake up in time), we rescheduled a catch up, this time at the safer evening time slot. We were both in the mood for Korean and he suggested Warra Warra.

Melbourne 4 - Shabu Shabu Lunch at Momo

Momo Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu
http://www.momoshabushabu.com.au/

Fast forward to the Sunday of our friend's wedding. We were in holiday mood so we probably got out of bed around noon, just in time for lunch. The hotel Marc and I stayed at was just a street away from Chinatown (Little Bourke St) so that's where we headed.

There were restaurants galore but I wanted to make a decision before we became overwhelmed with options. We thought that Japanese sounded good and gravitated towards Momo. Upon studying the menu further, Marc was disappointed that it specialised in hot pot. As an addict of hot pot and all things soupy, I couldn't be more over the moon. Marriage may be about compromise but on this occasion I put my foot down.

Melbourne 3 - Lunch at Carmine's

Carmine's Bistro
http://www.carminesbistro.com.au/

Marc and I did the touristy thing while we're in Melbourne and decided to take a stroll along Lygon Street. Most online articles reported the Italian strip along there to be a bit of a tourist trap with inauthentic pizza/pasta combos churned out for unsuspecting interstate/international visitors. I could picture my true Melbournian friends rolling their eyes at how naive we were but I ignored that mental image and focused on enjoying my day. Marc and I like walking as a means to take in new cities so for us, it was a chance to venture away from our hotel.

I had been to Lygon Street once before with Kat for our weekend away in Melbourne, many years ago. I even spotted Stuzzichino, a cafe we visited at the time. I'm sure lots of things have changed since 2010 but I felt a bit of nostalgia all the same.

Melbourne 2 - Banquet at Rumi Restaurant

Rumi Restaurant
http://rumirestaurant.com.au/

Perhaps the most urgent meet up I had arranged in Melbourne was with Mochi, my old housemate and long ago co-eater on this blog. I told her as soon as our flights were booked to think of a restaurant we could try. Because this is such a vague request (especially considering how much Melbourne has to offer), I narrowed it down to middle-eastern cuisine.

We ended up trying Rumi which is a modern Lebanese restaurant in Brunswick East. This was a Saturday night and every restaurant we drove past was busy, busy, busy. Despite having a booking, our table wasn't quite ready but the Maitre d' was very apologetic. Honestly, we were just happy to all be catching up so there was no huge rush but I like when restaurants acknowledge service flaws.

Melbourne 1 - Lunch at Laksa Bar

Laksa Bar
108 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD

It's the season for weddings! After Marc and I headed to Noosa for some friends wedding, we spent the following weekend jet setting to Melbourne for another friends wedding. Hey, it's an excuse for me to travel, eat and have time off work so I'm not complaining.

Melbourne is a good stop for us because as the years have gone on, more and more of our friends have dispersed out of Brisbane and moved interstate. The wedding itself was the highlight but we also took this opportunity to catch up with some old friends.

Brunch at Bistro C, Noosa

Bistro C
http://www.bistroc.com.au/

While we were holidaying in Noosa, a good friend who grew up in the area recommended we try Bistro C. On our last morning, Marc and I checked out of the hotel in time for brunch and we headed over to Hastings Street.

Bistro C is located in the strip called "On The Beach" and is accessible from either the boardwalk or the street side. It was a Sunday morning with beautiful weather so the cafe was predictably quite busy. Luckily there are lots of tables so even though we were put in a waiting list, the actual wait was surprisingly short. I was ecstatic that we were seated outside with views of the ocean. It doesn't get any better than this.

Dinner Degustation at Wasabi, Noosa

Wasabi Restaurant and Bar
http://www.wasabisb.com/

Wasabi Restaurant has been in my scope of desire for a long, long time but as someone who doesn't frequent the Sunshine Coast, I never found myself there on a suitable evening. Recently, we had a lovely friend's wedding at Noosa Heads and took that as an opportunity for a long weekend away. I knew immediately this was our chance to finally try Wasabi.

Umeshu (plum wine)

We made a booking for a Saturday night. I didn't plan far in advance so many time slots were taken but there was one available at 8:30pm, which suited us fine because we prefer eating out later at night. The restaurant isn't quite in the main strip along Hastings Street but it was a very short drive away with easy parking. We were seated near a window that looked out onto the water outside. I could see fish in the water but it was too dark to make out much else.

Tapas and Drinks from Gerard's Bar

Gerard's Bar and Charcuterie
http://gerardsbar.com.au/

Earlier this year I was in a bit of a Gerard's frenzy. After an amazing dinner at Gerard's Bistro, I pulled together another group of friends to try small eats at the bar the following week. I started writing this review post a few weeks ago, closer to when we actually visited but somehow in my recent travels the draft has gone missing. Luckily, the time we had left a strong enough impression that I can still recall details today.

We got there just before 9pm on a Friday night so as expected, the place was busy.  We hadn't made a booking so we hovered around the front of the restaurant unsure if we could even get a table. Surprisingly, the security guard on duty spotted us looking confused and pointed out a spare table. He even went and found extra chairs so that we each had somewhere to sit. Talk about above and beyond service!

As Gerard's Bar is a bar first and foremost, we started the night by tackling the cocktail menu. Throughout the course of the evening we covered several rounds of drinks, which definitely added some pep and liveliness to our group.

Fen Ku Guilin Rice Noodle

Fen Ku Guilin Rice Noodle
Shop 20D, Market Square, Sunnybank 

Rewind back in time and it surprises me to think that our wedding was now 6 month ago. I'll risk making the ultimate cliche but this year certainly is flying by. I spotted a new restaurant at Market Square, Sunnybank that reminded me of our favourite honeymoon stop. Guilin is one of the most picturesque cities I've been to in my entire life.

While we were there, our wonderful local guide explained to us a few aspects of the local cuisine. He was very passionate about their rice noodles and even gave us historical reasons as to why rice noodles were so popular in that region. Marc and I tried some rice noodles while we were in town and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is why seeing Guilin Rice Noodles offered in Brisbane was very exciting to me.

Dinner at Halims

Halims Indian Taj Restaurant
http://www.halimsindiantaj.com.au/

I'm a bit surprised there isn't already a post about Halims on my blog. If I rewind back a few years, I can recall going to this Rosalie establishment fairly frequently. It left a really solid impression in my mind for tasty and affordable Indian food. Marc and I went for dinner a few weeks ago and so I can now give a recent review.

We arrived on a weeknight and it was quite busy at Halims. We managed to get a table out on the large front deck but later on, we noticed some other diners waiting for a table. The menu is your typical Aussie-Indian affair with special mention of biriyani that we didn't order but I'm curious to try one day.