Shanghai Noodle House is one of many little chinese restaurants in Chinatown. It’s a pretty cool place to go for a quick lunch. “Nothing fancy” - in the good cheap asian-nothing-fancy way.

Cheap ambiance, like most things from China but I like it. It means they are real/authentic, as long as the food tastes good, who cares about the cheap furniture, the hello kitty aprons and mis-spelt menus.

These pan fried pork dumplings were standardly good, but maybe try the steamed prawn ones, I heard they are amazing. 

Roast duck on udon noodles and bok choi, interesting presentation. Flavorsome dish, fairly cheap, and satisfying.

Shanghai Noodle House
03 9662 9380
242 Little Bourke St   
Melbourne, VIC 3000

5/10

Trunk is gorgeous. ‘Gorgeous’ includes an elegant chanel-like logo, a unique vintage identity, edgy furnishings, cute décor and cute staff. It’s no wonder I had to go on a photo frenzy and take heaps of pictures.

The outside is as cute as it is inside, the clean brick walls, the warm outdoor heaters, the luscious plants and nature, all have a very sophisticated but homely edge. This hidden gem is perfect for Friday after work wine downs, and sloshy/sexy Saturdays. A vibrant atmosphere any day of the week in this fabulous area.

The venue includes a lot of different/unique areas catering any occasion. We were after a quick lunch so unfortunately, we couldn’t see the whole place. We headed strait to the casual Diner.

The diner has that classic, industrial make-shift feel, using wood and steel inside a container, but keeping it a bit more sophisticated and polished. I also love the fact that it is exposing natural air and light in a beautiful open environment.

The outdoor seating is very arty, very green, very open, and very awesome. They have quite a few seating options available, all with a brilliant vibe to suit almost any occasion. I love the bee illustrations/art on the wall.

I thought the “honey-garden” was just some awesome art branding, but then this cute little creature came and said hello, I named him Beyoncé. Turns out they really do have rooftop honey gardens. Which is friggin awesome.

They have a signature burger on the menu so we got it. The Burger has, fresh ground wagyu, brioche, red onion, baby cos, and house made pickle. All for only $10, you can add extra’s as well for around $1.50, I added some delicious sautéed mushrooms, divine. Great value for money too.

The plating up was a bit different, you kind of had to assemble the burger yourself, but only lazy bitches would care, I thought it was very quirky and unique-loved it. The pattie was delicious and cooked perfectly, and although the burgers are quite ‘petite’ they were actually quite filling. Love this place and will definitely be back for more! You should totally get drunk at Trunk like a punk, because this place has a whole lot of funk. I should be a rapper.

Trunk Diner
03 9663 7994
275 Exhibition St
Melbourne, VIC 3000

8.5/10

La Camera is an Italian restaurant that has nothing much to do with cameras, in fact, translated to english it means “The Room.”

My friend J from Christchurch and I, are graphic designers and we were searching for a quick and cheap lunch. Despite the ugly cheap looking table talker design, the price caught or eye. (And at least it wasn’t Comic Sans.)

The restaurant had a casual Italian bistro kind of vibe, authentic Italian dishes on the menu, casual chalkboard signs, foreign staff and fresh red paint.

Outdoor seating is available, fairly quiet, standard decor throughout the restaurant.

I never really had much risotto growing up because I’m asian, but today I gave the Prawn and Calamari Risotto a try, with no regrets. I enjoyed the acidity of the tomatoes and napoli sauce balanced with the seafood broth. The portion was just right for lunch, but I wanted more. 

J got the Risotto Pollo, a simple dish with chicken, mushrooms, semi-dried tomatoes and baby spinach. A subtle creamy texture with vibrant flavors coming through. It was good, I developed a little bit of food envy.

La Camera Restaurant & Bar
03 9827 8531
South Yarra/Toorak
446 Chapel St   

6/10

Pancake Dessert House. A place where no-one orders pancakes or dessert, nor is it a house. At least the bi-line was a bit more accurate, but it’s not like you’re suppose to take that seriously either, as it’s set in Comic Sans. Typical confusing chinese branding.

Not a single Caucasian in sight, the ambiance is very “contemporary asian fast food,” so I guess they nailed that one right. A very young asian vibe, and a comfortable spot for an express lunch, if you’re asian. (White people will stand out.) A lot of delicious chinese dishes on the menu for a very cheap price, I forgot to check if they did pancakes or desserts. 

I was tossing up between the lemongrass chicken on rice or this house special pork chop on rice. The lemongrass chicken was served with a little bit of green to the side, and a pan fried egg on top of rice. The pork chop was served with sauce and rice. It was so boring compared to the chicken dish the customer next to me had! #foodenvy. The pork chop was nice and crispy, flavorsome too. The sauce was like sweet and sour sauce combined with black bean sauce and onions. I enjoyed it but I wish I had ordered the other dish instead!

Pancake Dessert House Eatery
03 9663 1400
Mid-City Arcade
18/200 Bourke St

6/10