[Melbourne 2022] Hector's Seafoods @ Rye

We  were staying for 2 nights at Mornington Peninsula, and was looking for a fish & chips shop for dinner. Searched Google and narrowed it down to Hector's Seafoods as it is a short drive from our AirBnb. Plus, we wanted to do a little shopping at Woolsworth. We didn't realise it then, but Hector's was just right behind Woolsworth. Hahaa!

 

Hector's Seafoods

sunset view

The shop was meant for takeaways as there were only two tables inside and about the same outside. But no one would be sitting inside as the oil smell would get onto your clothes.

let's go grab our dinner

what fish shall we get?

Thanks to other reviewers, we did glimpse through the menu and had in mind some items. I wanted the fried pineapple and the group decided to get flake, grenadier and barramundi as our protein options.

extra sauce?

ice-cream

our choice

The Combo For 2 suits the 4 of us just fine as the base, and we added grilled fish and the fried pineapple. Paid and wait for the order to be prepared. There are display panel for the order number that are ready. Similar to a fast-food joint.

hungry people

Staff was friendly and we waited about 20 minutes for the order to be completed. And while waiting, we saw more who came to order. Seems popular.

is this too much?

Was amused that our order came in a carton box (halved). Hahaa, looks like alot!

Flake, fried calamari, minimum fries

Minimum fries sounded like not much, but it was enough fries for the 4 of us and it was still alot! But what is a dim sim? It looked like a fried siew mai but doesn't taste like one. Here's the wiki link to dim sim. Verdict? The dim sim at Hector's is not for me. No thanks!

fried dim sim

flake, potato cakes and fries

Whoa, there's fries and there's potato cakes. Carbs overload! I liked the fries better. Potato cake tasted a tad bland in comparison with the fries.

Grilled Barramundi @AUD9

We got the Blue Grenadier to see which one tasted better when battered and fried.

Flake @AUD8

Blue Grenadier @AUD7.80

 

Interestingly, Flake refers to shark meat while Blue Grenadier is a type of whitefish. Both are local to this region of Australia and New Zealand.

If you prefer fish that retained its 'fish' taste, then go for the Blue Grenadier. It was good and somewhat has an oily mouthfeel. If you prefer one that has more 'cottony' mouthfeel with a clean taste, then go for flake. Both were good. The grilled barramundi paled in comparison against the fried fish.

The batter at Hector's was well seasoned and was darn tasty. Yes, it was oily but one just can't stop eating especially when it was freshly fried.

calamari ring @AUD1.30

The fried calamari was unexpectedly soft. Quite enjoyable but some may not like this soft texture.

pineapple fritter @AUD2.50

sweet dessert

The pineapple fritter is a must-try. Good as a dessert. Sweet fruit and deep fried, seemed like a good combo!

I enjoyed the foods at Hector's Seafoods and yes, it was sinful and oily but, it was worth the try. There were two other guys seated next to our table, and they were pretty impressed by the fries that once they finished the first pack, one of them went back to get another. Yeah, it was good!

Hector's Seafoods

Address: Australia, Point Nepean Rd, AU Victoria Rye

Business Hours:

Daily

Mon-Thur: 11AM–8:30PM

Fri-Sat: 11AM–9PM

Sun: 11AM–8PM

[Melbourne 2022] Fairfield Park Boathouse & Tea Garden

Tracy says this place is for scones. So we had our breakfast at South Melbourne Market, and right after that, we're doing lunch at Fairfield Park Boathouse. WoOhOoo! Eating with foodie gang, is like eating challenges.

I went along with the group and didn't research anything on the places that we'd be going except for some and this place wasn't one of them. Surprising find of such an old school charm in the middle of a park!

let's have some scones

entering the boathouse

Guests are welcomed to take a seat at its indoor area or the outdoor where one could dine with the lakeview and under the trees. 

Paper menu are available at the counter or at designated boxes in the restaurant, so feel free to pick one up and peruse it before ordering at the counter.

food menu

Once payment is made, the staff would handover the foods such as the cakes/dessert and coffee/drinks and guests will take it to their own table. Other food that requires longer preparation time, will then be served to your table later.

Fish & Chips

Fried food served piping hot, what's there not to like? Especially on a cold weather like this, it tasted more delicious! But, can do with a little less salt on the chips though.

The coffee here is from Padre, and it was enjoyable. Not too acidic and adequate strength without it being too bitter.

The hot chocolate here looked thick and rich.

Italian Hot Chocolate Royale @AUD7

We also had the vanilla slice, and I discovered that vanilla slices in Melbourne could taste pretty different at different places. Interesting!

This version here is with a slightly firmer custard.

Boathouse Vanilla Slice @AUD11.90

But we came here for scones, and boy, the Devonshire scone here was lovely.

Devonshire scones, jam and cream @AUD14.90

The scones here are huge! One scone here is of the size of two scones back in Singapore. Hahaa! It is of a different texture as well, and not as 'biscuit' like, more fluffy like soft bread. Generous with the servings of jam and cream. Nice!

boating

One could do a bit of boating (to impress your date, maybe?) at this place, but during my short stay there, I had witnessed at least two different parties where the primary rower having some difficulty in controlling their oars. It was rather comical most of the times and thankfully, all returned safely. There is one or two staff around the bank that could assist, for rowers who had difficulty in returning their boat to the starting point.

Fairfield Park Boathouse & Tea Garden

Address: Fairfield Park Dr, Fairfield VIC 3078, Australia

Website: https://www.fairfieldboathouse.com/

Contact: +61 3 9486 1501

Business Hours:

Daily

Mon-Fri: 9:30AM–5PM

Sat-Sun:  8:30AM–6PM

[Melbourne 2022] Queen Victoria Market

 

It was one of my to-dos for Melbourne. Visiting a morning market!

We were going there to grab a quick breakfast, but the weather was a tad gloomy. My friends had warned that unlike South Melbourne Market where it has a food hall, the area for hungry diners to sit and eat at Queen Victoria Market was rather limited.

fancy seeing Musang King here

Ivan wanted to grab a bratwurst for breakfast, while I wanted to try borek. So off we went to get our stuffs. Hence went to queue for the donuts.

Bratwurst Shop & Co

The Borek Bakehouse

The staff at the Bratwurst Shop was lovely. She was patient in handling customers' preference on the toppings and sauces etc.

The queue for the Boreks may be long, but it moved quickly.

that familiar van

cute packaging

American Doughnut Kitchen - 5 for AUD7.50

fluffy and lovely jam

bratwurst

hot and yummy

Cheese & Spinach Borek @AUD4.80

tasty savoury breakfast

All the food that we tried that morning, tasted good. Key thing was, eat it fresh. Borek portion was good for one if you have it as a main. But best to share amongst two pax if you want to try some other foods. The bratwurst sausage was bursting with flavours and the sauerkraut was likeable. Donuts was the perfect ending to the meal. Jam was sweet but not overly so.

We had to run as it rained soon after we were midway through our breakfast.

American Doughnut Kitchen

Website: https://www.adk1950.com.au/

Business Hours:

Mon and Wed - Closed

Tue, Thur, Fri -  7AM–3PM

Sat:                          6AM–4PM

Sun:                         7AM–4PM

Bratwurst Shop & Co

Website: https://www.bratwurstshop.com/

Business Hours:

Mon and Wed - Closed

Tue, Thur, Fri -  6AM–3PM

Sat:                          6AM–4PM

Sun:                         9AM–4PM

The Borek Bakehouse

Business Hours:

Daily

Tue, Thur, Fri -  7AM–5.15PM

Wed:                        7AM–4.30PM

Sat:                          7AM–5.15PM

Sun:                         7AM–5.15PM

[Melbourne 2022] Supper Inn 宵夜店 @ Chinatown Melbourne

Hence, Tracy and Ivan says this place brings back memories. It is an establishment that has been around since, well, almost forever and thankfully, we manage to get a table in this restaurant on a Tuesday evening, for our late dinner.

Supper Inn

The place was certainly bustling. The place was pretty packed with diners enjoying their dinner with a bottle of wine.

menu

jasmine tea

We placed our orders for congee, and a few other dishes. The congee was lovely and only AUD12 per bowl. We shared amongst the 4 of us. Good flavours, and with adequate ingredients.

century egg pork congee

 

yummy smooth Cantonese porridge

The appetizers were good too. Deep fried food with congee? That's a power combo right there! The salt and pepper squid was lovely as the squid was tender and the batter pretty flavourful plus not that greasy.

Salt & Pepper Squid

baby octopus and jellyfish

On the other hand, if you like chewy, then go for the baby octopus dish. Not sure what was the actual name of the dish but I preferred the smooth and thick jellyfish over the chewy octopus. The sauce was soy sauce based.

prawn hor fun with egg

The prawn hor fun was basically wat dan hor (flat rice noodles in egg gravy) (滑蛋河). The prawns were of a good size, bright and firm. The eggs were awesome as well. Overall, tasty but the rice noodles could've enjoyed more time on the wok for more of that smokey flavours.

stir fried beef in black bean sauce

The Stir Fried Beef in Black Bean Sauce was lips-smacking good too! Strong flavours and the beef was nicely tender. Addictive and can't stop eating even when stomach space is full. Just don't look at the oil on the plate after you've done eating.

Overall, the food was tasty and staff was efficient. Expect to spend about AUD35 per pax.

Supper Inn

Address: Level 1/15 Celestial Ave, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Supper-Inn/153690991329647

Contact: +61 3 9663 4759

Business Hours:

Daily: 5:30pm–2:30am

[Melbourne 2022] Diner on Franklin (Korean Kitchen)

I was staying nearby, and this place is just 5 minutes walk from the hotel. To read more on the hotel experience, click here. Actually, Diner on Franklin is just a few minutes walk from Queen Victoria Market. But be careful as you might walk past without realizing it. Reason being, there wasn't any signage that indicated the restaurant name.

shopfront

The system here is pretty simple. Have a look at the menu, decide what to eat and order at the counter. Pay for the meal either by card or cash, have a seat and the food will be prepared and served to you thereafter.

owners busy preparing the food

sitting by the window

The menu had limited items but one could find Korean street food like tteokbokki 떡볶이, gimbap  김밥 as well as bapsang 밥상. The rice dish came with a main such as tofu stew (spicy), kfc (korean fried chicken), beef bulgogi or stir fried pork, and accompanied by side dishes.

Contemplated for a bit and decided to try kfc, and one could choose the sauce for the chicken. Sweet chili or soy garlic.

kfc bapsang

Wow, the rice portion was like alot! I think the rice could feed 2 pax. Loved that the meal came with kimchi, salad and cauliflower.

one serving of vegetables

yummy cauliflower

eat this rice skewer (떡꼬치) before it gets cold

fried chicken

The boneless chicken was chunky and fried to a golden crisp on its exterior. The inside was juicy. But the soy was a tad sweet, so on hindsight, a spicy sauce would be better to go along with the rice. The kimchi was the type that I liked as it was mature and tangy. Helped to cut through the sweetness. The spicy sweet sauce from the tteok kochi was also good with the purple rice.

There is no wonder why I felt super duper full after this meal. Not only there was big portion of purple rice, there's the rice skewer and cauliflower and all these are really filling. One could never be hungry after this meal!

The dressing on the salad was pretty strong towards the bottom of the dish. 

fried dumpling

While I was munching on my fried mandu, I saw the other tables had fried shrimp ontop of the fried dumplings as their side dish. Why I didn't get one? =(

The small burnt cheesecake was cute and a good finale / dessert to the meal.

one bite cheesecake

First day and first meal in Melbourne, successfully completed.

Do you think I had dinner/supper that night? Here's a hint.

Diner on Franklin

Address: Shop1/245 Franklin St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diner_on_franklin/

Business Hours:

Monday: Closed

Tue - Sun: 1:30am–8pm