Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Little Ramen Bar Location: 369 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Medium Spicy Miso Ramen ($20.90), Pork Shio Ramen ($19.90), Okonomiyaki ($12.90) Note: The spot where Celine's Melbourne team goes for team lunch when the theme is ramen. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A comforting bowl for a scratchy throat. The pork shio ramen and the okonomiyaki were the highlights for me. As I mentioned in my previous post , I have been coughing and my throat has been itchy, so soup was needed. We decided to grab an early lunch at Little Ramen Bar in Melbourne because this is where the team goes for team lunch when the theme is ramen. Medium Spicy Miso Ramen ($20.90) I went with my usual medium spicy miso ramen ($20.90) and it was good. It is not any better than what we can get in Vancouver, but good enough. I quite like the chewy, springy noodles in the creamy, spicy broth. Medium spicy miso ramen ($20.90) at Little Ramen Bar Melbourne I...

Chai Biskit Location: 59 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Hot Immunitea, large ($8), Classic Chai, large ($8), Assorted Biscuits ($3.50), Samosas ($3.50) Note: Newly opened in the old Dropout Chaiwala location. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A cozy, comforting breakfast stop. The not-too-sweet biscuits and the soothing Immunitea were exactly what I needed. Happy Wednesday morning, Melbourne! It is our last morning in the city for this trip, as we fly out later today. My throat has been itchy and I was coughing all night, so for breakfast we decided to try Chai Biskit. They recently opened along Elizabeth Street in the old Dropout Chaiwala location. Our cozy breakfast spread: Immunitea, classic chai, assorted biscuits and samosas Hot Immunitea and Classic Chai ($8 each, large) As much as I wanted chai, their soothing hot Immunitea ($8 for a large) was what I needed to calm my throat. Hubby went for a large classic chai ($8), a cream...

Tokyo Motto Location: Shop 23&23A, MidCity, 200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Deluxe Omurice ($24.50), Katsu Omurice ($19), Takoyaki ($10.40), Veggie Tempura ($12.35) Note: Our last-resort dinner on a public holiday, when many other places were closed. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A good meal, but the curry sauce was too sweet for me. The katsu and chicken karaage on the Deluxe Omurice were the highlights. For our last dinner in Melbourne on this trip, I really needed rice and my pre-flight meal of Japanese curry. Since it was a public holiday, it was difficult to know which stores were open and which were closed. As a last resort, we went to Tokyo Motto for their curry omurice. Deluxe Omurice ($24.50) Hubby went for the Deluxe Omurice ($24.50). It is rice covered with a fluffy, silky omelette, swimming in rich curry sauce and topped with crispy prawn katsu, sweet sukiyaki beef and crunchy chicken karaage. The katsu and karaage ...

Imperial Hotel Location: 2-8 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Chicken Parma ($35), Lemon, Lime & Bitters Schooner ($7.50) Note: A colleague-recommended pub meal, enjoyed on Melbourne Cup day. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Very tender, flavourful chicken. I still prefer the tomato sauce at the Duke of Wellington. It is Melbourne Cup day, which is a great excuse to hang out at the Imperial Hotel for the chicken parma a colleague recommended. We have been here since 11:00 AM watching Monday Night Football (yes, I am in Australia watching American football, haha). The Imperial is a historic pub at the top end of Bourke Street, with roots dating back to the mid-1800s. You walk in through the original Australian red cedar doors, and the rooftop beer garden overlooks Parliament House. Chicken Parma ($35) For anyone new to it, the chicken parma (or parmi) is an Aussie pub classic: a crumbed chicken schnitzel topped with tomato sauce and m...

Lune Croissanterie Location: 16/161 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Butter Croissant ($7.80), Cheese & Vegemite Scroll ($10.90), Kouign Amann ($10.50), Flat White ($5.90), Mocha ($5.90) Note: Expect a line, and we were happy to join it twice. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The butter croissant is the best I have ever tried, and the Kouign Amann is amazing. The Vegemite scroll was my least favourite. Happy Tuesday! It is a public holiday in Victoria for Melbourne Cup, so we woke up later than usual and decided to walk to Lune Croissanterie. Our tour guide yesterday called it the best croissant in the world. Bold claim! He also mentioned that the founder, Kate Reid, used to be a rocket scientist, so the same discipline has been applied to croissants. To be precise, she is a former aeronautical engineer who worked for the Williams Racing Formula 1 team before training as a baker, which is close enough for me. Our first round at Lune: bu...