Es Teller 77, Carlton

Many of you have heard about fast food chains such as KFC and Mc Donalds, but do you know that Indonesia also has its own franchise of fast food since 1982? Its named Es Teller 77, and they have branches in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. I went to the branch at 164 Cardigan St, Carlton last Monday which is quite near the University of Melbourne.

Yeap, they've their own menu system (albeit not being as complicated as the rest), but it works nonetheless.

After choosing your food, you order it at this counter. They're relatively quick on service, and you'll be able to get your food in 5 minutes.

This is Bakso Goreng, or deep fried beefballs. At 1 dollar a piece with some veg and chilli sauce, its a bit pricey though.

This is Batagor, the Indonesian version of rojak ($7). The peanut sauce has a pretty unique taste to it. I like ;)

Nasi Uduk - Coconut rice with fried chicken, egg and noodle soup. For one reason, the fried chicken is drier and has less flavour than what I would prefer (compared to KFC). It comes with some chilli sauce and a flavorful bowl of vermicelli soup.

Nasi Goreng, or more commonly known as fried rice. Comes with some cucumbers (which are a little thick) and fish crackers.

Kwetiaw goreng - rice noodles stir fried with egg and vegetables. A common chinese dish, adapted for Indonesian taste. Tastes quite good actually.

Enjoying the Bakso goreng.

Ayam Balado - deep fried Chicken with Balado sauce. The sauce has an interesting texture and taste. At $10, its a little on the pricey side for a dish.

Special bandung - A popular Indonesian drink. Contains syrup mixed with milk.

Mee goreng, or stirfried noodles. Looks quite good.

Es Teller 77 is on the whole quite a satisfactory place for a quick bite. You should give it a try ;)

Borsari Ristorante, Carlton

I was invited for dinner at Borsari Ristorante last week in conjunction with my friend's graduation. Its located at the corner of Grattan and Lygon St in the Carlton suburb close to the University of Melbourne.

The restaurant seems like it has a nice atmosphere from the inside.

For starters, here's some garlic and herb bread. Pretty standard fare.

Then came along two plates of pasta. The in the foreground is fettucine papone - which basically includes chicken, avocado, pesto, cream cheese and a dash of napoli sauce.

The spaghetti marinara was pretty good, and so was the lasagna. Such delectable fresh mussels, yum yum.

Digging in...

Now lets take a look at the mains. They're approximately $30 a dish. Kinda over the budget for typical international students, but pretty standard for most western main courses.

Flounder - Whole flounder grilled to perfection drizzled with virgin oil lemon jus or lemon butter sauce. Pretty standard. No complaints from the person who ordered it.

Scallopine Milanese - Milk-fed veal pan-fried with basil, tomato, marsanne wine and gratinated with ham and bocconcini cheese.

Scallopine al Vino Secco - Milk-fed veal pan-fried to perfection with dry wine and fresh butter sauce. The customer who ordered this was pretty satisfied.

Pollo Esquisito - Fillet of chicken filled with spinach and fontina cheese, wrapped in filo pastry and oven-baked with a white wine sauce.

Caneton Roti al’ Orange - Half a duckling, pan-fried in butter with orange zest and flambéed with Grand Marnier. The duck's skin was exquisite in taste, but the meat below was tough and dry. A let down really for an interesting dish. If you'd like some nice, juicy roast duck, try Pacific House in Richmond or opposite QV.

Lamb shanks. Strangely I can't seem to find it in the online menu :s  Perhaps its on special order.

My dish arrived the last. Escalopes di Vitello con Gamberi - Baby veal pan cooked with fresh water prawns and mustard, flambéed in cognac and a touch of cream. I was expecting richer flavours, but that perhaps is just me.

If your expectation of a western meal is like mine - a whole slab of meat with plenty of potatoes and vegetables, you're better off going to a TAB bar. Plus, its cheaper too (at approx $15 a dish).

Cheers.

Two cafe reviews

I don't really eat out all the time, but when the opportunity arises, I don't mind giving these cafes a try ;)


Tokyo Maki
335 King Street, West Melbourne

This small cafe is right at the Corner of King and La Trobe Street. You really can't miss it.

Chilli chicken bento box. The extras are some cold noodles and salad, and tempura style vegetables. The chilli chicken may be a bit too spicy for typical Australians, but its definitely worth a try.
Damage: $9.60

This is the simpler version of the spicy chicken dish on rice with some salad.

This is the teriyaki beef dish. Looks pretty decent.

Last but not least, some crumbed chicken fillets. Looks absolutely gorgeous.

David and Camy Noodle Restaurant

590 Station Street, Boxhill

A cafe speaks alot to me if it offers a huge heap of food at cheap prices. David and Camy cafe at Boxhill is one of them. $7.50 gets you this MASSIVE plate of chicken chops with some steamed veg on rice. Compared to the chicken chops at Port Phillip Arcade (off Flinders Street), this is well worth it, despite being a little bit more pricey.

Some fried pork dumplings. They're not bad for what they are, but don't expect it to be on par with a proper dim sum restaurant.

Happy eating~