Dinner Archives - BURNESSIE TRAVELS

Bleecker St. Burger

What makes the perfect burger? There’ll be arguments over this one for sure, but for me the top requirement is it needs to be messy, but not messy enough that the whole thing falls apart after two bites. The patty must be juicy, a bit pink and full of flavour, the cheese needs to be cheap and preferably of the American plastic variety: bright yellow and sticky. The bun is up for debate: I love a brioche, but a sesame seeded can also win out. Lightly toasted though, please.

I’m essentially describing Bleecker St. Burger. Named after founder Zan Kaufman’s favourite street in her native New York City, Bleecker St is a prime example of a small scale street food project that has blown up into a cult favourite amongst Londoners, all whilst retaining the passion that originally caused Zan to give up her law career for that big black van serving incredible burgers.

The burger scene in London has gone from strength to strength over the last few years; competition is fierce and there is constant debate over which is the very best burger in London. Before you jump in with your favourite, I implore you to try Bleecker St first. And I’m going to give you a simple instruction before you do: go double. After the first bite of my first ever Bleecker burger I instantly regretted not going double. After all, if you’re gonna do it, do it properly. These burgers sail to the top of many a ‘Best Burger in London’ list based on the quality of the meat that’s used. The beef comes from The Butchery in Bermondsey, where it’s dry-aged for up to fifty days, creating an intense flavour that I can’t recall being matched in another London burger. (Although of course, I am willing to sample dozens of burgers should you wish to disprove this). So yeah, with meat this good, you want to go double. Then add bacon.

Too often fries are pushed to the wayside in the quest for the best burger, and due to this I often skip them. However Bleecker St don’t shy away from their commitment to excellence and the chips are surprisingly good – rough cut and crispy (£3). They also offer a mix of regular fries and sweet potato with a blue cheese sauce named Angry Fries (£4), for those who are after something punchier.

Next time I visit (and it should be pretty soon, the Canary Wharf site is mere minutes from me, what a drag) I’m trying the famed Bleecker Black (£10) – a double patty extravaganza with black pudding cutting through the middle. People call it the best burger in London. I guess I’ll just have to judge for myself. You should too.

Have you had a Bleecker St Burger? Do you think it’s the best burger in London or have you got another favourite that beats it? Let me know in the comments!

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Voodoo Ray’s

Voodoo Ray’s were on my list to try at this year’s Glastonbury, and then the mud happened. The mud that meant what should be a twenty minute walk between stages took forty five, and an hour across festival took two. Glasto is still my favourite place in the world, but that mud was trying and physically exhausting. It also meant I did not make it to Block 9, the temporary home of Voodoo Ray’s for the duration of those amazing days in June. That God damn mud.

Since then I have been meaning to make it to Dalston specifically to try Voodoo Ray’s famed pizza by the slice, American style. Luckily for me, this weekend I stumbled upon their smaller site at Shoreditch’s Box Park. Despite having already eaten lunch and ice cream in the two hours previous, we ordered a slice of the meatiest pizza they do – The Meat Is On: minced steak, pepperoni, ham and pancetta with oozing melted mozzarella; along with a couple of frozen margaritas to wash it down. I can now confirm that yes, it really is worth the hype.

Voodoo Ray’s is described as a New York style pizza joint, so I assumed their pizzas would be the kind of deep pan pizzas you get in the Big Apple, which isn’t really my thing. But instead they have combined the very American concept of buying large hunks of pizza by the slice in a chilled atmosphere with the more favoured Napoli style pizza of Italy, and it’s genius.

First off, these pizzas are HUGE. Measuring at 22 inches across the whole thing, one slice is bigger than my face. Generous with the toppings, there is a great range of choice, including plenty of vegetarian options that sound seriously enticing despite my inevitably wanting the meatiest pizza they do. The Green Velvet – artichoke hearts, green olives, sun blushed tomatoes, mozzarella, tomato sauce and green sauce looks particularly good and there’s even an option that caters to the vegan crowd out there. For the meat lovers there is almost too much choice. The Meat Is On was excellent but I definitely want to go back to try the King Tubby with fennel and chilli sausage, kale, caramelised onions, mozzarella and marinated tomatoes; as well at the Rubenesque with salt beef and sauerkraut. Of course the real joy with this being a New York style pizza place is the fact you can try multiple slices and therefore multiple toppings, though you’d surely struggle to see away more than three of these slices in one sitting, big as they are.

Key to Voodoo Ray’s achieving the real vibe of a NYC pizza joint is the price. Sure, in New York you can pick up a huge slice of brilliant pizza slathered in cheese for $3 a pop, but this in London and nothing ever seems to be much of a bargain anymore. Until now. These slices come in at £4 each, and for such high quality and the sheer size of them, that is a great deal. Dips to see off your crusts come in at 50p each including classic garlic mayo, sweet BBQ and a chili sauce that comes from a secret recipe, and you can also get mac and cheese on the side for a mere £4.50.

Frozen margaritas (£6.50) made with Olmeca tequila saw no complaints from a seasoned margarita drinker such as myself, and a variety of cold beers from around the world will keep others happy. What’s more, the original Dalston outpost is open until 3am Thursday through Saturday so it really does feel like being in the city that never sleeps. Voodoo Ray’s have successfully brought a slice of New York City to East London, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.

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A Bit Fancy Food London

Ivy Chelsea Garden

You’ve heard of The Ivy, everyone has. It has long history of almost 100 years old entwined with celebrity visits, business meetings for the corporate world and special occasions. Whilst it’s certainly considered A Bit Fancy, the consistency of The Ivy’s reputation is surely based on its food, classic and high quality, as opposed to the famous faces who walk through the door. So when my best friend invited me to take the afternoon off to join her and some friends for a leisurely boozy lunch at The Ivy’s Chelsea outpost, Ivy Chelsea Garden, I naturally jumped at the chance. I rarely let the combination of the words ‘boozy’ and ‘lunch’ pass me by, and the opportunity to try The Ivy’s famed menu at last was enough for me to immediately book a half day off.

The Ivy Chelsea Garden is a beautiful restaurant. Stylish yet classic decor with white tablecloths, bevelled mirrors and beautiful big glass and brass lanterns throwing light across the room is second only to the pièce de résistance: a conservatory area that opens into the coveted garden. It was a beautiful day which would have made the garden area a dream but unfortunately despite requesting two months in advance, it seems you may need to know someone in order to secure a table out amongst the pergolas and fountain.

Seated in the buzzy main restaurant and starting as we meant to go on, we ordered a beautiful bottle of rose whilst we scoured the menu, everyone wanting more than one thing – the starters a particular battle. Apparently I’ve travelled back in time as I’ve recently grown a serious penchant for a good prawn cocktail, but after much deliberation I opted for the buffalo mozzarella with asparagus, edamame, roasted pine nuts, pesto and baby basil (£8.95). And what a choice; honest to God one of the best starters I’ve ever had. Good food is food that stays with you, and this dish is certainly one of them. Luckily for me, the others at the table were generous with their choices, so I got to try not one but two tuna dishes, both of which I toyed with ordering myself. Tuna carpaccio with spiced avocado, lime, creme fraiche and coriander shoots (£9.95) was no disappointment, but certainly out done by the melt-in-the-mouth Ponzu marinated tuna served with radish, ginger and mango with wasabi (£10.50). The arrival of salt encrusted sourdough (£4.25) and more of the aforementioned rose made the first course a hard one to beat.

Service was excellent throughout, and respectful of the fact we asked for a wait between courses, something that isn’t always the case and a real pet hate of mine. When we did get around to the mains, three of us had gone with the chicken Milanese topped with a perfectly fried egg with the goldest of yolks (£16.95), whilst the remaining of our party went for the sea bream. The former was excellently done, the brioche crust of the chicken crisping beautifully, along with perfect truffle Parmesan fries (£4.50) and thick cut chips (£3.75). For good measure I swiped some zucchini fritti (£3.75) too but found them too floury – the truffle and Parmesan chips came out on top in the potato stakes.

But enough of all that, let’s talk about THAT dessert. You may have seen it doing the rounds on Instagram; a chocolate bombe sitting in milk foam, melting as hot salted caramel sauce is poured over it to reveal a vanilla ice cream and honeycombe centre (£8.50). I know. Honestly, it’s worth making a booking at The Ivy for this dessert alone. It’s better than it looks and better than it sounds. Friends ordered dark treacle tart (£6.95) and frozen berries with yoghurt sorbet (£7.50), all perfectly lovely but the envy was palpable. Frozen berries over a chocolate bombe with salted caramel? Amateurs.

Regardless of whether the dessert of dreams stays on the menu (why would it not?), The Ivy is definitely a restaurant I’ll be returning to for years to come. Classic, fantastically executed food with attentive service in a beautiful setting, The Ivy feels like a real treat without the pretentiousness I’d expected. I just hope I can get a seat outside next time.

Buffalo mozzarella with asparagus, edamame, toasted pine nuts, pesto and baby basil

Chocolate bombe with hot salted caramel sauce

Have you been to The Ivy and had their famous chocolate bombe? Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

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London

Bodean’s

Facebook recently reminded me it’s been two years since my friend Harry and I went to Bodean’s and ordered five sides. Five. Between two, in addition to a huge plate of BBQ meat each which, yes, already came with sides. I recently showed my mate Tom (of Foulder Online) the wondrous ways of the world of Bodean’s for the first time, and it struck me I’ve never actually written about my love for the place other than random comments or tweets screaming ‘BODEAN’S I LOVE BODEAN’S’ into the void. I assume everyone knows about Bodean’s because they’ve been around for years now and have quite a few outposts, but then I think, ‘God, what if you don’t? What if you don’t know and you’re missing this amazing meat mecca in your life?’ So here we are.

I’m going to start with the drinks first, because without fail the first thing I do when I reach any Bodean’s is order a margarita straight up, with salt. Let me tell you, they know this cocktail. I’d like to tell you they know all their cocktails, but I couldn’t, because I only ever have the margs. I’m not steering off piste when my favourite cocktail is that good. For those who don’t want to plough their way through the long cocktail list they also serve a wealth of American beers and ales, as well as a decent offering of reds and white wines.

And then, of course, there’s the meat – the star of this all American show. Look around and you’ll see huge racks of ribs smothered in their house smokey BBQ sauce, towering burgers, foot long hot dogs. The smell as you walk past other diners to your table is genuinely saliva inducing. My go-to is forever the pulled pork with burnt ends combo (£13.95): tender meat that falls apart at the softest of nudges from your fork, full of flavour and never, ever dry. It’s a tough pick from an extensive menu, but I can personally highly recommend any platter of meat they offer, and if you’re into hot dogs, Tom assures me the chilli cheese dog (£8.25) is more than up to scratch.

But back to these five sides. If you want to truly experience a Bodean’s feast to its greatest potential, order extra sides. That time Harry and I went a tad overboard (no regrets), we ordered sweet potato fries, macaroni cheese, cornbread (oh God I love cornbread), BBQ beans with extra pulled pork (I know) and onion rings, because of course. All were excellent, but the onion rings and cornbread are a must. Needless to say that what with all that and several margaritas, I’ve never made it to dessert, though the menu is made up of American classics such as pecan pie and New York style cheesecake. You don’t go to Bodean’s for the sweets though, you go for the meat. And then you keep going back.

Locations in Soho, Tower Hill, Balham, Old Street, Fulham, Clapham and Covent Garden. For addresses and specific opening times for each restaurant visit the website.

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A Bit Fancy London

Jose

For two people who have a shared brunch wishlist at least thirty restaurants strong, my best friend and I can take an astonishingly long time to choose where to eat. It took an hour’s debate to land on Jose in Bermondsey for a midday lunch post yoga (her) and chore morning (me) one sunny Saturday.

Jose is the first of chef Jose Pizarro’s three outposts of excellent Spanish food, set up on a cosy space on the corner of Bermondsey Street under the watch of The Shard. I’d been keen to try it out for a long time, and at Alli’s suggestion (likely to prevent her from having to travel no more than two minutes from her yoga class) I jumped at the chance to finally go.

Keen as ever, I was the first person there when they opened the doors at 12pm, quickly parked myself at the end of the window bar, catching the spring sun that poured through the floor to ceiling glass and ordered a bottle of their blanc de blanc (£36 a bottle). A regular prosecco drinker, it was a good change to have something a little drier and the blanc de blanc was an solid choice. Later in the day we would try the English sparkling Nyetimber down the road, and both agreed it’s one of the best sparkling wines we’ve tried. But back to Jose.

Of course, being tapas, sharing plates is the go to here, so we ordered a selection to start with including croquetas (£6.50), mixed cheeses (£12), pan con tomate (£3.50) and the inevitable cuts of cured meat: jamon iberico (£13) and cecina (£8), which came topped with bright red pearls of pomegranate seeds and turned out to be a brilliant addition. We drank our wine and on ordering another bottle topped up our order with tuna skewers (£10), chorizo peas (£7.50) and sukalki (£8), a beef ragu that felt more like an English stew than traditionally Spanish but well done nonetheless. The croquetas deserve a particular shout out, perfectly golden and filled with cheese and small chunks of ham, as does the chorizo peas topped with the perfect fried egg, which we were instructed to mash up all together before enjoying. It never occurred to me that three simple ingredients could taste quite that good together.

The thing about picking slowly at small plates with good wine and your best friend – aside from it being one of the best ways to spend a few hours – is how you become so full quicker than you expected. Full of good food, cold fizz and long conversation. Too full to order dessert, and I’ve heard very good things about their chocolate with sea salt and olive oil. Then again, that plus their ever changing menu is the perfect excuse to go back.

104 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UB

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London

The Gantry

One of the best things about moving somewhere new is undoubtedly discovering all the restaurants, bars and cafes that are only known to the locals in the vicinity. I’ve already sourced the best takeaway in Brockley, and now I’ve got another fast favourite in The Gantry. At first glance The Gantry looks like a small wine bar, dotted on the corner of Brockley Road as you turn off toward the station. However if you turn the corner inside you find a hodge podge of rooms in a quirky set up, culminating in a bright but cosy conservatory and hidden garden area at the back, which will be perfect for a quick glass of wine and bar bites come summer.

Not only is this a great neighbourhood place to grab a drink (the wine is very good, and I always find being able to buy by the carafe a nice touch), but the food here is excellent and 100% lived up to the expectations I had formed after several stints drooling over the menu online. My friend opted for the small charcuterie board to start (£7), which looked great and something I would definitely order in future, whilst I went for the goats cheese and baked apple millefeuille (£6), which was balanced artfully on top of a crispy pastry nest. Not being what I would usually go for, I was swayed by the goats cheese and was impressed with the balance of flavours and textures.

Mains were lamb shank on a bed of parsnip and potato mash with a honey and red wine sauce (£17) and chicken and crayfish fricassee served with a spinach and mushroom lasagne (£13). We both did that whole ‘roll your eyes into the back of your head’ thing when we tried our meals and I really cannot recommend the lamb dish enough, as tender as it was, the meat falling off the bone just as it should do and swimming in that rich gravy. I would have maybe liked a little more mash, but then mash is a main feature of my death row meal so I never think there’s enough of it. A side of buttered kale with pine nuts (£3.80) completed the main course perfectly.

Apparently unable to resist sticky toffee pudding whenever it features on a menu – which I am steadfastly claiming to be an act of thorough research into my quest for London’s best sticky toffee puds – I of course tacked this onto the end of my meal despite being comfortably full. It was a good competitor in the sauce and ice cream accompaniment stakes, though the sponge not as light as I like. Luckily there are an array of other enticing choices on the dessert menu such as tarte tatin and chocolate pastilla to try on the next visit.

The Gantry spruce up the menu regularly, as well as serving roasts on Sundays and brunch every weekend until 1pm, which makes finding an excuse to swing by fairly easy. Plus they do a special burger night on Mondays, where you get a free pint or glass of wine with your order, and on Tuesdays do steak and fries for a tenner. The drinks menu alone is enough to pull you in for a few, with Whitstable pale ale, Asahi, Sam Adams and Stowford Press cider all on tap, an extensive list of wines from around the world and a cocktail menu to boot.

Might pop in there tonight, actually.

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Bath UK

Graze Bar & Chophouse

What feels like many moons ago – sadly, for it was among the best of weekends, a large group of friends and I hopped on the 11am train out of London to Bath for the weekend for a friends’ wedding, armed with prosecco and pain au chocolates in hand. Inevitably, our sightseeing day (“wouldn’t it be great to take the day off and actually see Bath”) turned into extensive research into the city’s pubs, with a quick afternoon culture dash to the Royal Crescent before returning to the hotel to change for cocktails and dinner.

After a recommendation from a friend of a friend, I booked a table at Graze for ten of us. And what a bang on choice for a large, enthusiastic (read: slightly inebriated) group of friends on a Friday night, something that can be difficult to cater for. The restaurant occupies a large airy space as well as al fresco areas for summer days, but happily the atmosphere is filled to the rafters rather than getting lost along the way, with large groups and small tables alike enjoying the buzzing ambiance. The kitchen is open plan, always a favourite of mine, and the staff were ever friendly and helpful in spite of how busy the restaurant was.

And then who can argue with a beautifully presented, perfectly cooked flat iron steak for a tenner? Being a chophouse, steak is the go-to option here, and I’m happy to confirm that the quality is excellent and the chefs deliver what you actually order (all too often medium isn’t medium). The chips are excellent – crispy and fluffy all at once, as they should be, and the peppercorn sauce is served in a jug big enough to swim in, which is just how I like it. Potatoes are offered five ways to compliment your order, and there are plenty of options to pimp your steak with extras, including making it a surf and turf with the addition of tiger prawns, as well as an array of butters and sauces to choose from. And that’s before you even get to the side dishes. If you’re not one for steak, there are a handful of fish and vegetarian options, as well as venison, beef and chicken burgers for good measure.

Having sampled the rich chocolate honeycomb bar and the sticky toffee and walnut pudding, I can say with confidence that desserts deserve a real shout out here. I am a tough judge of the classic sticky toffee pud and was relieved this one lived up to standards. I just wish I’d had room to start off the meal with one of the excellent sounding starters (seared scallops with black pudding: you’re mine next time).

Graze Bath is not the first of its kind, for they grace Bristol and Cirencester too, but this location is the only one with its own microbrewery, describing itself as “something of a flagship for Bath Ales”. In addition to the large range of ales and ciders Bath Ales offer, there are craft beers from around the world, as well aperitifs, top spirits and an extensive wine list (shout out to the delicious Santa Julia Organic Malbec, a steal at £23.50 a bottle). If I’ve not yet managed to convince you to try Graze next time you’re in Bath, this might – they offer a set menu at just £15 for 3 courses or £12 for 2 on weekdays. If that didn’t work, I’m sorry, I tried, you can’t be helped.

9 Brunel Square, Bath, BA1 1SX
+44 1225 429 392

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Europe Florence Food From Travels Italy

Konnubio

This should really be titled ‘The Day I Ate Like A King’. After eating one of the best lunches of my life in Florence, I ended up eating a beautiful meal at Konnubio on my way back to my bed and breakfast seven hours later, and that day will forever be known to me as the day I ate like a king.

Konnubio was a recommendation from a friend of mine who has also stated it was the best meal of her trip to Florence. It was almost an after thought, spoilt as you are for choice in such a city, and I decided that only if it was on my way home would I stop there for dinner. Luckily for me and my laziness, it was. As the manager organised a table for one in the busy restaurant, I was handed a complimentary glass of prosecco, and as anyone who knows me will know, this is a sure fire way to my heart. Even before looking at the menu properly, I was sold.

I settled on beef, having tired myself of so many pasta dishes over my time in Italy (it’s a tough life). Specifically, I ordered peppered beef muscle (€16) with an accompaniment of the Tuscan beans, cooked in sage, garlic, olive oil and tomato, (€5) after the waiter convinced me that these two dishes complimented each other very well and not to be boring and order fries. He brought me a beautiful glass of red wine (€6) whilst I waited for my meal and then a little after that, that Wednesday in September became The Day I Ate Like A King.

The beef muscle tender and melting in a Chianti sauce, the simple Italian flavours from the Tuscan beans and sage adding a whole other level of taste sensation, the red wine washing it all down – this was superb food from Konnubio. As is so often the story with me, my only regret is that I didn’t have enough room to explore the dessert menu, and instead had to practically roll myself home. In Florence you are truly spoilt for choice on good food and I have scribbles of untouched recommendations prime for my next visit, but I would find it difficult to not revisit Konnubio in favour of somewhere new. Arrivederci, as they say.

Via dei Conti, 8r, Firenze, Italy
+39 055 238 1189

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Asia Food From Travels Gili Islands Indonesia Lombok

Scallywags

The first time I ever went to Scallywags I had to take myself off to bed at 9.30pm after having eaten myself into such an uncomfortable state that I couldn’t do anything other than lie horizontal and rub my tummy. And I mean that in the best possible way: I couldn’t get enough of the food. Never tell a hungry backpacker that a buffet is All You Can Eat.

Along with my friends Hannah and Adam, I had spied Scallywags on Gili T due to its beautiful décor – all rustic wood features, blackboard menus and candle lit lanterns overlooking the sea. Heading back from beers over on the Sunset side one evening, we were further lured in by the piles of fresh fish and meat set up for the evening’s BBQ. We’re already picking what we want, but it’s out of our price range and we know it. I say ‘out of our price range’ – it’s literally around £6 for a meal with a beer, but when you’re backpacking your relativities change. Sometimes you just have to treat yourself though, so in we go, and I haven’t looked back since. Scallywags is one of my favourite restaurants in the world, and I always go back without fail when on the Gilis.

The quality of food here is excellent, and really, the value for money is great too, even if it’s not quite backpacker budget. The staff are friendly and efficient, the menu is large, the setting is idyllic and as a result, Scallywags is busy every night. Should you choose the BBQ, you simply choose your fare (the steak is excellent, as is the tuna – and they know how to cook to specification here – my tuna steak is always as rare as I like it) and grab a plate to pile high with the salad buffet that comes included in the price, plus a jacket potato or rice. Learn from my mistakes and mind not to over eat though – you don’t want to miss the fun Gili T is famous for later in the night.

The a la carte menu is just as delicious (I’m told the butterfish is off the charts), and the tapas dishes they offer are perfect for lunchtime. The menu ranges from salads and sandwiches to pies, lamb shanks, steak, local Indonesian specialities and of course – fresh fish dishes. Scallywags has an extensive range of international wines starting from 350,000 IDR for a bottle (or 80,000 – 95,000 IDR per glass), as well as being one of the only places on the island that serve pints of Guinness.

My last visit to Scallywags was for a boozy lunch on my birthday this year, where my friend and I shared a huge sharing platter (140,000 IDR) which included their excellent salt and pepper calamari and chorizo with aioli dip, as well as the seared tuna tataki and rocket salad with ginger, soy and wasabi dressing (85,000 IDR) and a side of creamy mash potato, because it was my birthday and mash potato is probably my favourite food in the world. Once again defeated on stomach space, I’ve never made it to dessert, but the blueberry ice cream (20,000 IDR per scoop) I used to get from the Scallywags outpost on Gili Air holds a special place in my heart.

Scallywags has long been my number one recommendation for dinner on Gili Trawangan, and even with serious competition cropping up all the time as the island develops, it’s still my favourite place for fresh seafood BBQ. Oh also, if you’ve got a bit of money to spend, you can even stay at Scallywags, both on Gili T and Gili Air. But don’t tell me if you do as I’ll be eternally jealous, okay?

Scallywags Resort, South Beach, Gili Trawangan, Nusa Tenggara Bar. 83352, Indonesia
+62 370 6145301

Also at: Scallywags Beach Club, Gili Air

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Australia Food From Travels Melbourne

Rice Papr Scrs

Rice Papr Scrs stood firmly at the number one spot of Tripadvisor’s Melbourne Restaurants for months, usurped only when Heston’s The Fat Duck swung by briefly for a residency in the Australia’s foodie city. It’s somehow fitting that this was my last meal out in Melbourne after living there for three months, though if I still lived there this would definitely be a regular haunt of mine.

Vietnamese food has become pretty popular in London in the last couple of years or so, with a tonne of pho places popping up all over the city and not just on Kingsland Road. But we are well behind Australia, who with a large Vietnamese population have been familiar with the South East Asian cuisine for a long time now. Rice Papr Scrs focuses on food you use your hands to eat, so this is one Vietnamese restaurant where you won’t find a bowl of pho in sight – instead, order a bunch of small plates to share (or not, as the case may be, they’re good enough to not want to), and messily tuck in to some of Melbourne’s best food.

The bahn bao – steamed buns with pork belly, hoisin sauce and cucumber – were absolutely delicious and I would happily pop into Rice Papr Scrs at lunch to grab a few of these on their own. Having taken advantage of the 5 dishes for $55 deal, we also ate Mekong whiskey marinated lamb ribs in a sticky sauce, Thai (so I guess RPS isn’t exclusively Vietnamese) fried chicken marinated in galangal, chilli and coriander, as well as a spicy chicken salad and beautiful soft shell crab banh mi. Everything was great, and 5 dishes to share between two was enough to fill up even the greediest expat foodies in Melbourne.

These two expats from England have a slight penchant for espresso martinis, and it turns out that Rice Papr Scrs do one of the most delicious you could wish for. Each of the three ingredients would be advised against by your doctor, which is probably why they are so good: vodka, espresso and condensed milk, the latter of which is a staple in Vietnamese coffee culture. Shaken up and served over ice, they were fucking sublime and you should follow our lead and have at least three.

In keeping with all those hipster restaurants with a truck load of buzz about them, there are no dinner reservations at Rice Papr Scrs. Get there early or expect to wait – and you could be waiting a long while. Luckily for the foodies of Melbourne, they do take lunch bookings, and have recently opened a second location in Brunswick Street in the unarguably awesome Fitzroy, so your chances to find out what the fuss is all about have doubled.

Rice Papr Scrs City; 19 Liverpool Street, CBD.
Tel: +61 03 9663 9890

Rice Papr Scrs Fitzroy; 307 Brunswick Street.
Tel: +61 03 9486 0066