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| Banoffee Tart $8.5 |
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| Brownie $7.5 |
Food: 3/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Highlight:
- Friendly crew
- Good presentation
- Cakes don't taste as good as they look
With a twist to the European deli/restaurant idea, Calia brings to Melbourne diners an affordable Michelin-starred-chef-designed menu featuring Asian inspired dishes, artisanal desserts, and gourmet goods. Almost 18 months after its opening, the place is still jam-packed with people. Does it live up to the hype? The piggies are here to do some digging!
The shop half is almost as big as the restaurant with produce sourced from local Australian suppliers as well as some imported goods that may be hard to find elsewhere.
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| Cake Cabinet (from Bibelot) |
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| Crispy Roast Pork Bowl $17.9 |
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| The King $18.2 |
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| Salted Egg Yolk Chicken $11.9 |
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| The Marbled Sukiyaki Bowl $16.9 |
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| Matcha Latte $5.5 |
The matcha latte was almost too cute to drink... and that's fine, we ordered it for the latte art an have to say it was money well-spent. The drink only comes sweetened as the matcha is premixed into a syrup.
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| Matcha Mia Tiramisu $10.9 |
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| Matcha Lava Cake $15.9 |
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| Hojicha |
Being tea-lovers we also ordered the Hojicha, which looked absolutely serene and elegant. Unfortunately, the taste didn't live up to the aesthetics. There was a mere whisper of hojicha in the thin brown layer. This dessert should have been better named the Plum, as the sour plum centre dominated the overall flavour and we didn't really know what the hojicha was there for.
We could definitely see why Calia is a popular destination for friends and families. The environment is modern and casual, and conveniently located in a shopping mall in the heart of Melbourne. The price is affordable and the menu is extensive. Most of all, the food looks pretty, and certainly instaworthy. Nevertheless, for fellas looking to satisfy the palate as much as the eyes, this may not be the ideal place.
Food: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Highlight:
- A cool atmosphere
- Diverse menu
- Affordable prices
- Not for serious foodies
With several awards under its belt, Shoya Nouvelle should come across as one of the top Japanese restaurants in Melbourne. Despite some of the negative reviews online as well as advise from personal friends who have visited the restaurant, we still decided to give this place a go.
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| Kani & Hotate Filo Age $10ea |
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| Unagi Canape $12ea |
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| Hokkaido Crab Tempura $33ea |
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| Grilled Swordfish Cheek $105 |
Knowing swordfish isn't a small fish, when the dish arrived we were still shocked by the scale of it. It was a true team effort as we carved the fish. It was so meaty it felt like we were sharing a steak as opposed to fish. The meaty bits were surprisingly tender as the fish oil had completely rendered into the meat. But the best part was the skin which had a charred smokiness.
We don't normally comment on service, but we feel like Shoya could definitely work on this. The waitresses were not attentive, and forgot to tell us that the cheese pork katsu that we ordered is actually not available for lunch. We only found out when we chased them for the dish.
For a lunch at $90pp, we were expecting the restaurant to change the plates, particularly when they had become full with bones. It wasn't a particularly busy day and the waitresses made no attempt to check how we were going. We were also served a smelly hot towel, the smell could've been picked up from feet away.
In conclusion, we had a mixed bag of feelings towards this place. The good was the overall creative menu, the bad was the food was hit-and-miss, with certain areas poorly executed. The worst was the poor and inattentive service, certainly not a good match for the price.
Food: 6/10
Service: 3/10
Atmosphere: 5/10
Highlight:
- Swordfish collar was impressive
- Crab legs
- Eel was comprehensively underwhelming
- Bill shock from the Swordfish cheek
- Service and atmosphere didn't live up to the price
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| Pork Jowl $17.50 |
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| Crispy Crocque Monsieur $18 |
Is this the ultimate cheese sandwich? Originated is France, Crocque Monsieur is a ham and cheese sandwich that's either baked or fried. This humongous sandwich was loaded with cheese and few slices of ham. With additional bread crumbs added on the outside, this sandwich was fried until golden brown, leaving the outside super crunchy and the inside bursting with melty cheese. The bad? This sandwich was no one-man task as it can get pretty heavy in the end with all that cheese (the tomato relish did help a little bit).
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| Spanish Omelette $23.50 |
It was a good move that we got this Spanish omelette, as at this stage we desperately needed some vegetables. The omelette had a crispy edge while the inside was packed with tomato, capsicum, potato, avocado and chorizo. The dollops of sour cream and shaved parmesan cheese provided some creaminess. There was also a bowl of rocket salad on the side too.
Service: 5/10
Atmosphere: 5/10
Highlight:
- Large portions
- Food was not bad but delivery may improve with a more focused menu
- Cafe goers expect a good meal to mark a good beginning to the weekend, and if the waitress has a negative attitude this really rubs off on the diners.
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| Forager $10 |
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| Campfire $10 |
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| The Whole Nut (Vegan) $8 |
It was hard to believe there was no milk in this. The dark chocolate made with hazelnut milk was smooth and creamy, highlighting a unique hazelnut aroma. It's no secret hazelnut and chocolate are best friends, but just how well they went together without anything else was an impressive feat.
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| Hazelnut Wafer (comes with The Whole Nut) |
As well as a la carte, Mörk also sells a range of chocolate related products off the shelf.
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| Pre-made Chocolate Milk |
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| a variety of Cacao Powders |
Food: 10/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Highlight:
- Go for the experience, or the chocolate, and you won't be disappointed
- Good value
- We have not found a comparable chocolate place in Sydney (or anywhere else for that matter)
Address: 150 Errol St, North Melbourne, VIC 3051
Hours: Mon Closed
Tue-Sun 9am-5pm
Phone: (03) 9328 1386
