CJ Lunch Bar

I had been looking forward to doing a review of CJ Lunch Bar after having dinner there last Friday so instead of a typical weekday home cooked meal, I decided to take Edwin for dinner.

CJ Lunch Bar is definitely the place to go if you are searching for cheap eats other than sushi rolls or Chinese a la cartes. Far from the fancy, pretentious, posh place in town which serves authentic Korean cuisine, CJ Lunch Bar strips everything down to basics. Good old beef on a hot plate, some kimchi and cold bean sprouts on the side, all for under 20 bucks per person.

Be warned though, the lunch bar is very hard to find if you do not know the way around Melbourne too well. I would never have found this place if not for Keith's friends who took Keith who took me there.

For today, we ordered the beef bulgogi.

Good old beef.

There is something special about the beef bulgogi here but I have a hard time placing my finger on what exactly is. The beef is thoroughly cooked but still tender, nicely flavoured with sauce, not too salty, and certainly did not overpower the natural flavour of the beef. The caramelised onion definitely worked magic by adding a little sweetness to the dish. Although the beef they use are not high quality cuts, for 15 bucks including a rice and sides, no one would complain. Definitely a winner in my book.

Chicken cheese bulgogi.

I can imagine purists screaming their heads off at the thought of covering bulgogi with cheese but CJ Lunchbar took the leap and created what most would agree its magnum opus.

The first time I went there for dinner I thought that the strips of cheese were shredded pickled cabbage or something typical of Korea. However, when I saw those bright yellow strips of cheddar melt, my heart melted too and I swore to return for this dish.

It was not as good as I imagined it to be. The cheese lacked flavour but definitely gave the spicy chicken dish an interesting texture. The chicken itself was boldly flavoured with a spicy red sauce which was rather pungent. For me, the chicken were too finely diced that it did not feel like I was eating chicken, it felt more like a chunky stew except with cheese. This is just me being fastidious and trying to sound like a snobby connoisseur. For a simple meal and its value, this $16.50 dish is magnificent.

Not authentic but definitely fantastic.

The verdict? I preferred the beef bulgogi while Edwin favoured the chicken cheese bulgogi. However, we both agreed that the meal was definitely worth more than the amount we paid and that we were definitely going back.

Shp 2, 391 Little Lonsdale St corner of Hardware Lane

Melbourne, VIC 3000, 
Australia.

In Lavender Fields

Lavender.

The title was supposed to sound more like "Fields of Emerald, Droplets of Ruby". But then again...

Saturday morning, the skies were grey with thick sheets of clouds, covering behind them the warm autumn sun and blue skies. It was the typical weekend morning when I would wrap myself up with sheets and sleep in. What it was not was the kind of morning for a trip to a strawberry farm where I would have to get up at eight.

I joined Cherry and Edwin for breakfast at Hungry Jack's before heading to University Square where everyone going on the trip was told to gather. Cherry had to buy Henry breakfast and carry it all the way from the city to University Square. As an act of vengeance, we deliberately forgot the straw for his coke.

The opportunistic asshole enjoying his breakfast.

We left University Square in a bus at about 10:20 a.m. The journey towards the strawberry farm in Mornington was a hard and arduous journey due to my lack of sleep the night before and the diarrheoa I had to hold in. Arriving at the farm was definitely a relief, so to speak.

Not so sunny, not at all funny.

Des fraises.

Berry much into photography. I know, it is not punny.

Due to someone screwing up the booking, we were met with bad news at the farm, that we could not enter the farm to pluck strawberries. However, before anyone could bother to complain, we were all ordering desserts from the cafe.

Temptation.

I know that the ice cream and the strawberries coated in strawberry jam looks heavenly and girls who love Hello Kitty would jump off a building for something this pink, heck, even I am a sucker for this, but let this be heard, it is nowhere as good as it looks. Not saying that it was bad, just keep your expectations lower.

Fondue au Chocolat.

La temptation avec la fondue au chocolat.

Cherry and strawberry?

There is nothing like a few depressing black and white photos to put our emotions back in equilibrium after being overjoyed from gorging down dessert after dessert.

The one and only Steven Li Chun Ho. Now in black and white.

Depressed duo.

Although there was a kink the in plan, the committee of the Hong Kong Students Association did not give in. They decided instead that we go to a lavender farm nearby. The bus driver, however, screwed up badly as he took us in a big 45-minute long circle while the strawberry farm was practically next to the lavender farm.

Upon our arrival at the lavender farm, we were greeted by a friendly scarecrow.

Rustle the welcoming scarecrow.

There is not much to mention about the lavender farm, other than lavender being the tip of the iceberg, but not in a good way. Here is a list of the attractions that I took photos of in the farm.

A fountain with statues of horses besides two fountains with plastic water spouts.

Mazes.

The mazes were a refreshing experience as I had never been in a real maze before. The first maze was fun as it resembled a real, convoluted, non-linear labyrinth. The rest were just waist-high fences with creeper plants such as the almost barren rose maze and the lavender labyrinth which were not very interesting. There is also a rock maze.

Lakes.

Despite the lavender farm being somewhat a disappointment, it was a good opportunity for me to do some nature photography.

Roses. Notice the bee near the top right.

More roses.

Not as sharp as can be. I do not (yet) own a macro lens.

My favourite for the day.

Could be better with less negative space but moths do not stay at the same spot for more than two seconds.

I was also the unofficial photographer for the event.

Group photos.

Our artistic director Steven "Spielberg" Li.

After a tour around the farm, its numerous mazes and lakes, we headed for the cafe.

They also serve homemade lavender ice-cream.

Full house.

Honestly, the trip was just alright. I got quite excited about it at first but the weather, our bad luck with the strawberry farm and the rather nonsensical lavender farm let me down. However, I did have a lot of fun catching up with my friends during the trip, escaped the busy semester for a day in the great outdoors and bagged a few good photos in the process.

Here is a random picture of a Hummer as a filler.

Back on the Grid!

Son of a bitch!

That is the only way to start a blog post when you finally get internet access at home after one bloody month.

One week waiting for the application to be approved, another few working days before my address was authenticated for billing, waiting for the internet service provider to get clearance from Telstra, then it is another ten working days until the technician comes to connect the service to the main distribution frame and another wait over the weekend until another technician Keith contacted came to jumper the connection from the MDF to my apartment, and then trying to connect to the internet with an incompatible modem router, buying a new modem router and finally being able to connect.

Yes, this is how Australian ISPs function. If you get your service within three weeks of application, it is excellent service, anything before that is a miracle.

Happy Birthday, Jinny! (D.O.C. Pizza and Mozarella Bar)

The birthday girl, or should I say 20 year old woman.

It was Jinny's birthday last Friday. After handing in my Organisational Behaviour essay, having a good time mixed with alcohol is the least of my needs.

We did not know where the celebration was going to be at until the day itself. This was not some kind of mystery party, just that we ran out of ideas on places to dine. Two days before, Jinny suggested Oriental Spoon and not one second after "spoon" was uttered I vetoed the decision. After much thought, the venue was decided, D.O.C. Pizza and Mozarella Bar.

The place to be for authentic pizzas.

D.O.C. stands for Denominazione D'origin Controllata, which means something in Italian. Although the meaning of the name totally escapes me, the food definitely speaks my language. Who would have thought that a little corner shop in Carlton could serve such amazing pizza?

Table for ten for Jenny?
Random picture of plates, wine glasses and cutlery.

D.O.C. claims that their produce and their waiters are air freighted. I doubted for a moment until our waiter for the night started introducing the items in the menu with an unmistakably thick Italian accent.

Made in Italy.
Jeremy's puzzled face after listening to the recommendations.
Lost.

After a good ten minutes struggling with the menu, we finally chose five pizzas.

The special.

First up was a pizza that was not even on the menu. All I know is that it has fresh figs, prosciutto and buffalo mozarella, which happens to be the highest grade of mozarella. One bite into this pizza is a marvelous explosion of flavours. The saltiness of the tender prosciutto, the spiciness of the fresh figs and the sweetness of the buffalo amalgamated into a heavenly dish.

Pizza Salsiccia and Pizza Cornuto.

Next it was Pizza Salsiccia which consists of Leo's sausage, sounds dirty but tastes good, crema di broccoli and mozarella. I am not a fan of broccoli but broccoli creme is addictive. From now on I will beat broccoli into a pulp prior to consumption. The creme was savoury but not too heavy on the palette. Coupled with the soft mozarella and the tender sausage, it is just perfect.

Together with Pizza Salsiccia was Pizza Cornuto. Cornuto, meaning a guy who got cheated on by his partner, is apt to describe the spiciness of the spicy salami and the chilli. People who love extremely spicy food might find this pizza too mild, but to me, the spiciness is just right such that it does not kill the meaty flavours in the salami. The spiciness is also a good contrast to the taste of the other dishes.

Pizza D.O.C. in the foreground.

Next was the dish named after the restaurant. Something like a margherita except with buffalo mozarella. A simple, light dish made of San Marzano tomato, D.O.P. buffalo mozarella and fresh basil. However, simple and light is not necessarily a bad thing. The tangy tomato paste and the sweet mozarella really helps working up an appetite. For meat lovers, this is a fresh experience; for vegetarians, this is a must-eat.

Another pizza that we ordered was the Pizza ai Porcini, which I did not take any photos of. I guess that gives me a reason to pay D.O.C. another visit.

Birthday girl serving the guests.
Digging in.

Drinking up.
Playing with phone!?
Untouched food!?!? Definitely a sin in D.O.C.

After the main course, there was a cake from Brunetti, the famous cake shop.

Excellent packaging.
Out in one blow.
Happy birthday!
I wish I knew the name of this cake.

Then it was time for group photos to commemorate the occasion.

Serious.
Candid.
Serious.
Almost serious.
Dead serious.

After dessert we left the place with heavy hearts and heavier stomachs but most of us will be there again sometime soon.

Someone else's pizza.
Drunk birthday girl.

We spent the night playing pictionary and poker and had a wonderful time.

Once again, happy 20th birthday, Jinny. 20th.