Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Sederhana (Masakan Padang) Location: 207 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Hangry 4 Choice: 2 proteins plus 2 sides with rice and curry gravy ($24 AUD, plus $2 AUD for rendang). Ours: Rendang, Ayam Pop, Sayur Singkong, Gulai Nangka, Ayam Bakar, Dendeng Batokok, Telur Gulai, Telur Balado Note: A Padang-style spot recommended by Indonesian colleagues. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The curry gravy and rendang are excellent, and the grilled chicken and spicy egg balado steal the show. I think I have mentioned a few times that we do not have many Indonesian spots in Vancouver, so I asked my Indonesian colleagues to curate a list for me to try in the CBD. I received a list of five places, and for Thursday dinner, hubby and I went to Sederhana on Queen Street. I think I am already letting my health goals slip with the amount of food I have been eating on this trip, but this was too good to skip. Hangry 4 Choice ($24) We each got the Hangry 4 C...

Il Gran Panino Location: 118 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Prosciutto Sandwich ($18 AUD) Note: Ordered for a company-paid team lunch with a sandwich theme. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Decent prosciutto, but the bread was not as fresh as I hoped and the sauce and onion flavour were off for me. Vancouver wins this round. Happy Thursday! For our company-paid team lunch, the theme was sandwiches, and we ordered from Il Gran Panino on Queen Street. Prosciutto Sandwich ($18) To properly compare it with what we get back home in Vancouver, I ordered the prosciutto sandwich ($18). I'm sorry, Melbourne. I hope this is not your best Italian sandwich spot, because Vancouver wins this round with Pressato and Dante (you can read that showdown in Vancouver Italian Sandwich Battle: Pressato vs Dante on Robson ). The soft focaccia did not seem as fresh as I would have liked, and the sauce was unusual. According to the description, it comes wit...

Anita Gelato Melbourne Location: 273 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Coffee Gelato with no sugar, Matcha Gelato with Pistachio Wafer ($8.30 AUD per scoop) Note: A perfect post-dinner dessert stop in the CBD. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Smooth, flavourful gelato with a balanced coffee and a wonderfully earthy matcha. After such a food coma dinner, I needed a walk to help with digestion. Afterwards, hubby and I went for gelato at Anita Gelato Melbourne. Thanks to the colleague who recommended this gelato shop. So good! Coffee Gelato with No Sugar I got the coffee flavour with no sugar, in the hope that it would be lighter, haha. It was an excellent, smooth coffee flavour that was not too strong. Coffee gelato with no sugar ($8.30 per scoop) Matcha Gelato with Pistachio Wafer For hubby, I chose the matcha with a crunchy pistachio wafer, and wow. You can taste the earthy, vibrant matcha without any bitterness, and I loved...

Onigiri Kitchen + Sake Bar Location: 1 Degraves St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Atlantic Salmon Onigiri ($6 AUD), Tuna & Cucumber Onigiri ($6 AUD) Note: A quick, handheld lunch on Degraves Street. A dash of soy sauce takes it up a notch. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Crunchy seaweed, soft rice and flavourful fish make for a simple, satisfying lunch. Happy Tuesday! For lunch, we went to Onigiri Kitchen + Sake Bar on Degraves Street. I honestly do not remember the first or last time I had onigiri, so I was excited to visit. Atlantic Salmon Onigiri ($6) I got the Atlantic salmon onigiri ($6) and the tuna & cucumber onigiri ($6), and I loved them. Crunchy seaweed, soft seasoned rice and tender flaked salmon: I am happy. I added a dash of salty soy sauce and it got even better, because I love the contrast of rich fish and savoury soy. Atlantic salmon onigiri with flaked salmon centre and crisp nori Tuna & Cucumber Onigiri ($6) ...

Adozen Adozen Location: 24 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Salted Caramel Soufflé Pancake ($21 AUD), Matcha Latte ($6 AUD), Black Soybean Rice Tea ($5.80 AUD) Note: A handy dessert stop after dinner around Hardware Lane. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Jiggly, soft and not too sweet, which is the best compliment a dessert can get from me. After a wonderfully satisfying dinner date, I quickly searched for dessert spots around Hardware Lane and spotted Adozen Adozen, where they serve soufflé pancakes. Dessert after dinner is a non-negotiable for us, so off we went. Salted Caramel Soufflé Pancake ($21) We got the salted caramel soufflé pancake ($21), and the fluffy, jiggly stack was as soft as it looks. The silky salted caramel cream on top, dusted with bitter cocoa powder and finished with crunchy honeycomb shards and a fresh mint leaf, provides just enough sweetness to make it perfect. As an Asian, the biggest compliment I can give a des...