Big Boy BBQ

Miss M So it's been a pretty big week for K and I, we've both been swamped with assignments, assessments and work but today, we finally got to take some time off and eat to our heart's content. As I've been craving ribs all week and K has yet to try the ribs at Big Boy's, we decided to give Hardware Lane's Big Boy's BBQ a spin. 

The platters and burgers that you could order Big Boy's was surprisingly empty when we got there so we were seated at a table almost immediately. I was expecting the place to look more like an American diner, but Big Boy's just kept it simple and stuck with a blue, white and red color scheme. For once in our lives, we already knew which platter we wanted and ordered the Wings 'N Ribs as it was the only platter that included ribs and didn't have a suggested serving size of 3 or higher. Seeing as the platter was very meat loaded, K and I decided to have the lightly spiced crunchy chips and house salad as sides to the platter and our future selves really thanked us for that decision later on.

While waiting for our food to be served, I had a bit of a squiz around the restaurant and saw this up on one of the walls. I thought it was a good idea overall as it provided an explanation of what a barbeque really was and in addition answered any frequently asked questions (of course that meant people would have to read the wall and ain't nobody got time for that... except us). Our drinks were served in red plastic cups, which K and I thought was a super cute idea and very American party-esque. Too bad we decided to practice self control that day and only drink water out of them instead of drinking to our deaths with soft drinks. Big Boy's really stuck to their motto of "Slow Food...Fast" as in no time at all our mouth watering platter came out. 

Wings 'N Ribs:  Regular wings and half a rack of Kansas City style dry rubbed pork with lightly spiced crunchy chips and house salad with lettuce, tomato, feta, cucumber and olives - $35.00 + $4.00 (for the upgrade to dry rubbed pork ribs)

Now that platter may look small and burnt, but let me assure you it was completely the opposite of that. Everything was cooked to perfection and by the time K and I were done with it,we were completely satisfied. The pork ribs were so incredibly soft and succulent which admittedly I was a little worried about as they were black when they came out. I loved the fact that because the meat had being smoked at a low temperature for 16 hours or so they weren't scorching hot when they came in. They were just the right temperature for us to dig in straight away when they came out. The ribs were served on a bed of white bread (which K and I didn't touch as we didn't want to get full from bread and have no room for ribs) and also had a side of pickles. They were absolutely delicious, flavoursome and in addition, had a lot of meat attached to the bone which made me rejoice as I always get annoyed about ribs being more bone than meat. 

The army of sauces 

While the ribs were already quite flavoursome, there was also an army of sauces on the table which we could drown our sides in, in my case I drowned both my meat and sides in sauce as they were so delectable. While they all had their merits, my favourite sauce of the bunch would have to be the Hot Boy Spicy BBQ sauce, there's nothing I love more than being able to add a little bit of spice to my food. It really added to the wings which I  found to be really juicy, soft and just as good as the ribs. K and I were actually saddened that there were only 4 wings in our platter and tried to eat tactically so we could balance out the wings with the amount of ribs. The sides proved to be a good decision on our part as the chips were perfectly crunchy, seasoned and went really well with the meat. The salad was somewhat plain and would generally not wow anyone on it's own but however in this case it provided some freshness to our heavy meal and was greatly appreciated by K and I.

The t-shirts available for sale, our favourite one was the one on the right

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Big Boy's BBQ and by the time we were done my appetite was completely sated which I was pretty bummed about as I was really looking forward to trying out their peanut butter cream pie with chocolate ganache. There's always a next time though and for me, the taste of those smokey ribs and the sound of that dessert is more than enough to pull me back. Just a side note, Big Boy's also sold t-shirts! K and I were thoroughly amused with the "Ribbed for your Pleasure" one so we thought we'd take a photo and include it here as well for some giggles. That being said, you guys should definitely give Big Boy's a spin! You get so much value for your money and honestly who could say no to ribs?

Big Boy BBQ

Location:

27-31 Hardware Ln  Melbourne VIC 3000

Contact:

(03) 9670 9388

Opening Hours:

Sun - Weds 12pm - 9pm

Thurs - Sat 12pm -10pm

Pricing: $$

Do you like to eat ribs? What's your favourite place to eat ribs at?

N2 Extreme Gelato

Miss M  Money spent on food, is always money that has been well spent, even if that money's been spent on the same food not once or twice but four times. Now if you haven't heard already, N2 Extreme Gelato just recently made its way into Melbourne and what a hit it's been! Since my first visit, I've been there another three times and if my sweet tooth has any say, there are many more visits to come. Now let's get down to business, N2 is my inner nerd's dream come true, science and ice cream? Say no more! Using liquid nitrogen, N2 whips up some crazy gelato flavours such as my personal favourite, crème brûlée, and produces the smoothest gelato texture as a result.

Right away when you walk into the store, you get a feel of a laboratory setting with the beakers, goggle wearing staff and of course the puffs of liquid nitrogen seeping out from the Kitchen Aid Mixers. 

Although K and I have been to N2 before, we've never gone together so since we both had time to kill before our tute, we answered the sweet call of gelato. I find it's always exciting to go to N2 as every time I've been there, there are new flavours to try out and this time was no exception. 

How adorable is their blackboard menu? 
K and I decided to share a crème brûlée as our friends were already trying out the new flavours and of course because crème brûlée is hands down the best flavour. S, being a chocaholic, opted for the deconstructed chocolate lava while C's interest was piqued by the vegan option of lemon, lime and bitters. Once we ordered, K and I grabbed our friends and went over to watch the liquid nitrogen magic happen!

Look at that liquid nitrogen go!
In addition to the liquid nitrogen goodness, K and I were also treated to the view of the N2 staff blow torching our crème brûlée and creating that wickedly sinful layer of crisp caramel on top. 

That first crack of the wonderfully sweet caramel top followed by the ooze of the custard gelato underneath never fails to get me salivating and every mouthful of the two combined together keeps me coming back for more and more. S and C's flavours were also quite scrumptious but dulled in comparison to the crème brûlée. S's deconstructed chocolate lava was incredibly chocolate-y and towards the end even she had to admit that it was a bit too much for her. C's lemon lime and bitters on the other hand were too plain for his liking and failed to wow him after the first spoonful. Overall, while they did enjoy their gelato flavours they both agreed that crème brûlée was the best of the bunch.

From left to right: Deconstructed chocolate lava, lemon lime and bitters and our fave, crème brûlée!
As always, it was a treat eating at N2 and I can not recommend this place highly enough! For a decent amount of money you get mouth watering gelato, a little nerdy show and a lovely area to kick back with your friends. If you're ever in Brunswick, I'd say definitely give this place a shot and if crème brûlée happens to be on the menu, you'd be a fool not to try it out.
N2 Extreme Gelato
Location: 329 Brunswick Street Fitzroy, VIC 3065
Contact: melbourne@n2extremegelato.com.au 
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sun 1:00pm -11pm
Pricing: $  
Which flavours do you like the most from N2? 

Twenty & Six Espresso

Miss M
Having uni in the city definitely has it’s perks as there are so many cafes and restaurants to choose from, the only problem is, K and I can never decide which one to choose! After much deliberation and eye rolling from our friends, K and I finally decided to go Twenty & Six Espresso as I've been meaning to try it out ever since I walked past it a month ago.

Upon walking into Twenty & Six Espresso, I found the cafe to be rather small but quirky with all it's cute wall decor, what really caught my eye though was the crates hanging off the wall. How adorable do they look!

As it was a sunny day, K and I opted to sit at the back in the courtyard, which turned out to be a great idea as we had the courtyard all to ourselves and it was such a lovely little space as well. 

The staff were extremely pleasant and helpful and after a recommendation from the waitress I settled on the chai latte as it was made in house with their own unique blend of spices. Our drinks came out promptly in little bowls which was such a cute touch and the chai was exactly what the waitress promised and more! It was just the right amount of sweet with the addition of honey and would most definitely be sitting in my top five for chai lattes.

House Chai Latte - $4.00 

Add Honey - $0.50

After much deliberation between the sweet dish, Dee's Nuts and the savoury dish,The Shepherd, K finally convinced me to order the latter as our friend A had already given us a container full of pure chocolate bliss from Laurent. The Shepherd, was a Pimiento braised lamb shoulder with cauliflower, pearl barley, pine nuts, gremolata and migas. The star of the dish, the lamb, was done exceptionally well, it was tender, juicy and practically melted in my mouth. It's combination with the gremolata and nuts was definitely a winner for me, the gremolata provided a fresh citrus zing to the lamb and the barley and nuts gave the dish that extra crunch. Aside from that, I found that I didn't really care for the other components of the dish and could have done without the migas which in my opinion, tasted like the flavoring you would find in Mama silver packet noodles and made the dish a lot saltier than what I would've preferred. 

The Shepherd: Pimiento braised lamb shoulder with cauliflower, pearl barley, pine nuts, gremolata and migas - $18.90

Besides that minor detail though, I quite enjoyed my lamb dish and would definitely return to Twenty & Six Espresso again to try out their other dishes (I'm looking at you Dee's Nuts!). For anyone who is planning to visit Twenty & Six Espresso anytime soon, I highly recommend giving their chai latte a go, it was such a pleasant surprise for me and if anything I would come back just to have this little cup bowl of heaven again.

Miss K
While M indulged in the lamb shoulder, I strayed away from my usual salmon dish and went for ‘The Honky Tonks’ ($16.9). I must admit the name played a role in my decision but the meal itself did sound appealing. Nestled in the cosy courtyard that was reminiscent of a vegetable garden, chipotle pulled pork sliders accompanied by a winter root vegetable slaw, butter roasted pepitas and kettle chips sounded perfect. 

I also ordered the Mörk hot chocolate ($4.5), again, partly because of the intriguing name. The drinks were quick to come out and I was quick to divulge in it. The hot chocolate was not sickeningly sweet, which I was worried of, as it was made of dutch cocoa and coconut sap sugar. If you, like me, love the combo of dark chocolate with coconut undertones, I would really recommend you try this drink

Mörk Hot Chocolate - $4.50

The food followed soon after and I was disappointed to see that the kettle chips were just that, packaged Kettle chips. The other accompaniment of winter root vegetable slaw was also underwhelming, with what I mistakenly thought was beetroot turning out to be some salty, fluorescent purple, pickled vegetable. Having tried these dissatisfying sides, I was putting all my hopes on the sliders. Although the bun was quite dry, the moist and tender pulled pork made this small downside barely noticeable. Drizzled with aioli and contrasted with the crunch of the white cabbage, these pulled pork sliders really were the highlight of the dish. 

The Honky Tonks: Chipotle pulled pork sliders with white cabbage, aioli, winter root vegetable slaw, butter roasted pepitas and kettle chips - $16.90

Despite the disappointing sides, I believe Twenty & Six Espresso has potential and would come back to try more of their menu... as well as have some coconut-y hot choc again!

Twenty & Six Espresso
Location:

594 Queensberry St  North Melbourne VIC 3051

Contact:
(03) 9329 0298
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri 7:30am - 3:30pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Sat - Sun 8:00am - 3:30pm
Pricing: $$

Have you tried Twenty & Six Espresso before? What was your favourite dish?

Welcome welcome!

Hello hello and welcome to our foodie blog! First off let us introduce ourselves, we’re M and K, two Melbournian girls that have been blessed or you can say cursed with a never ending desire to eat and explore new restaurants/cafés . If you’re friends with either of us, you’ll know that we both have a habit of eating out A LOT and being the typical Asians we are, we’re always taking photographs of the food. 

So, being the hardworking uni students everyone knows we are (heavy sarcasm intended), we finally decided to take the plunge, put those photos to good use and start up our very own blog! Also, before we go on, we'd just like to clarify that we are in no way professional bloggers or photographers, we just really really love food... and procrastinating.

Starting from the moment you walk in, there are so many elements that can affect your experience at a restaurant or café. From the service you receive to the presentation of your actual dish, every little thing, believe it or not, plays a role in your overall experience and hopefully this blog will be able to outline those little things that we experienced and provide you with some insight on those restaurants or cafés. 

Our blog will mostly consist of places that the both of us have gone to together, meaning they’ll mostly be brunch places as more often than not, we’re sneaking in brunch during our uni breaks. But of course, there are always exceptions and while we love brunch, we love every other meal there is as well. So sit back, have a browse through and give us your opinions cause we’d love to hear from you! Oh, and don’t forget to just keep eating!