How time flies, this very blog turns one this month. I look back on the past year of my foodie wannabe experiences and am grateful to my loyal readers who I am able to share my passion for food with. This month’s post is aimed at those who need ideas for lunch in the city of Melbourne.
If you’re anything like me and on the odd occasion where you haven’t packed your lunch, then deciding what to eat can be a struggle. We all know that Melbourne is spoilt for choice when it comes to food however here are a select few of my favourite regular choices to fill that gap in the middle of the day.
My love for sushi…
I randomly came across the ‘Sushi Monger’ on The Causeway (in between Bourke and Little Collins Streets) one lunch hour and noticed the excessively long queue. Of course this normally can guarantee that a place has to be good. For those of you who are familiar with ‘Sushi B’ on Woodward Street in Wellington, the queue at ‘Sushi Monger’ is of those proportions. There are a variety of options of hot food as well as freshly made sushi rolls to choose from. I normally have three rolls plus miso for $6.80 or if I am unusually less hungry the two rolls plus miso for $5. You can also just select single rolls without the miso and pay per roll. My three favourite choices of rolls are ‘Spicy Salmon’, ‘Crispy chicken and avocado’ and ‘King Prawn and avocado’. I have found it hard to find a casual sushi place that fulfils my expectations and was so happy to have stumbled across the ‘Sushi Monger’. Dare I say it, for Melbourne standards, their sushi is the best and absolutely delicious it fills the spot every time. And continuing my love for Japanese…
I love Japanese food and one of my favourite dishes is a ‘Katsu Curry’. Matsuki Japanese Café in Centreway 259-263 Collins Street do a mean ‘Katsu Curry’. It is only $6.90 for the ample regular size and such a great lunch time hunger filler. They also have a variety of rice and noodle dishes on offer but admittedly I started and stopped with the ‘Katsu Curry’ and it is the same order every time. The chicken is deliciously crispy and the curry sauce covering it is full of the balance of flavour that a good Katsu Curry has. If you are a fan of this dish as much as I am then I highly recommend a visit here.Vietnamese bakeries…
Throughout the city there is a scattering of Vietnamese bakery chains such as N.Lee or Kenny’s. I love having a Vietnamese roll or traditionally called ‘Banh mi’ from these places when I feel like a deliciously filled bread roll. They have options of having the traditional pork loaf, barbequed pork or pork meatballs as fillings amongst other mainstream choices of ham, chicken and salads. My favourite option is to have a chicken schnitzel roll with the traditional Vietnamese salad, which consists of pickled carrot, cucumber, coriander. The roll is also buttered and spread with pate and I ask for chilli to give it a kick. For a roll at N. Lee it is $6.50 and $6.20 at Kenny’s. The N.Lee Bakery that I prefer is at 61 Little Collins Street and Kenny’s at 190 Queen Street is conveniently located for a quick lunchtime grab.Da roti wrap…
The idea of wrapping curried meat and salad in a roti is pure genious. I love a roti wrap and from ‘Spice Kitchen’ in the Galleria food court (enter from Bourke, Elizabeth or Little Collins Streets), they are so good that one is almost not enough. For $6.95 each it is a bargain and with the choice of chicken or lamb, the choices are simple. Although the service here is a little slow, for wraps that are pre-prepared, I can look past it as both the chicken and lamb are delicious. They are toasted upon ordering and I would recommend eating it there rather than take away as on then you will get the two condiments on the side that add moisture to the wraps. ‘Spice Kitchen’ also offer a variety of mouth watering curries with rice and naan to cater for both meat and vegetarian lovers alike.So if you are having a lunchtime dilemma hopefully these suggestions will hit the spot or perhaps give you some inspiration when you can’t decide what to eat in the middle of the day.
