D'Elephant Thai Cuisine

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of D'Elephant.

Gastrology recently shared an evening of Thai delicacies in Chadstone’s latest contemporary Thai restaurant. 

D'elephant Thai Cuisine opened its door in late 2014 and has worked hard to improve their modern yet authentic Thai menu, which boasts fresh ingredients, cooked to order and aims to deliver affordable and quality Thai food to Melbournians.

The menu features all your favourite Thai staples along with other lesser known dishes. 

The Som Tum station delivered fresh Thai papaya salad.

Thai papaya salad

The salad of crispy pork fat, salted duck egg, prawns paired with sticky rice was delicious. All the dazzlingly fresh ingredients blended harmoniously, resulting in a clean and bright dish with a perfect salt-sour-heat balance.

Upper left: Panaeng curry with tender beef

Upper right: Deep fried chicken with cashew nut tossed in chilli jam 

Bottom left: Deep fried barramundi fillet with lemongrass, chilli and garlic

Bottom right: Roast duck red curry

We particularly enjoyed the beef Panaeng curry. The curry was luxurious, thick and exhibited a marvellous aromatic lift and the beef was beautifully tender.

Left: Sago cantaloupe in coconut milk

Right: Mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream

The Mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream concluded our evening on a sweet note. A Thai classic, the dessert was scrumptious with generous slices of fresh mango over gooey sticky rice and creamy coconut ice cream - yum! 

With a focus on classic Thai dishes served in a contemporary manner, D’Elephant is a delicious addition to Chadstone and Malvern East’s food scene.

Location: Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Malvern East

Phone: 03 9568 6600

Link: http://www.delephant.com.au/

Cuisine: Thai

French-Japanese cuisine @ Miam Miam

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Miam Miam.

Marrying French techniques with Japanese inspired flavours and ideologies, the team at Miam Miam is engineered to deliver a memorable dining experience.

Miam Miam is a French-Japanese fine casual café kitchen and is a labour of love by globetrotting friends with a passion for food. 

Taking much inspiration from kissaten, the age-old Japanese establishment, the dining space is casual and warm with the busy percussions of the kitchen playing in the background. The open space gives a full view of their centerpiece kitchen, living up to its café kitchen name. 

Berries soda

The berries soda was a refreshing summer time drink, with fresh berries and freshly picked mint leaves.

Iced matcha latte with matcha softee

Made from stone-grinded top grade Japanese Matcha powder, mixed with milk and slightly sweetened, topped with a brilliant green Matcha softee it is no wonder the iced matcha latte with matcha softee is one of Miam Miam's best sellers. We loved the delicious and intense matcha flavour and the creamy,yet light softee atop the matcha latte. 

Lobster bisque pasta 

The lobster bisque was beautiful. The bisque had a well-developed flavour profile, courtesy of being made from lobster shells. The pasta was al-dente. The grilled tiger prawn was a delicious addition.

Squid ink pasta

The squid ink pasta was perfectly cooked. Tossed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, anchovies and squid rings, colored with premium quality Ikasumi powder, we loved the delightful addition of wasabi infused oil which made every mouthful moreish.

Iced coffee 

Bold but very light-bodied, Miam Miam's iced coffee is hand dripped and served in a unique copper cup to keep the coffee ice cold.

Of particular note are Miam Miam's sweet offerings - the souffles and pancakes are certainly Miam Miam's pièce de résistance.

Matcha souffle 

The matcha souffle was picture perfect. Using the same premium Matcha powder as Miam Miam's green tea latte, the souffle was beautifully light and fluffy.

Caramalised banana pancake

The pancakes at Miam Miam are sensational. Fluffy with some real "height", the souffle pancake was adorned with delicious caramel, banana  and served with vanilla softee. We enjoyed the addition of toasted almonds which added crunch and flakes of salt which really brought the flavours to the next level.

Adopting the Japanese ideologies of kaizen and kanban in its food and preparation practices, Miam Miam's kitchen prescribes a practice of continuous improvement which shines through in the quality of their offerings. 

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Miam Miam.

Restaurant Review: FA-faH!

Location: Shop F018, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone

Phone: 03 9568 6600

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Link: Facebook

Overall Impression: 8/10

Melburnians hungry for fresh, mouth-watering and great value Asian cuisine are in for a delicious treat, with FA-faH! opening its doors early last month in the city’s Fashion Capital, Chadstone Shopping Centre. 

Whipping up the tastiest Chinese food using modern techniques, FA-faH! offers locals the most tantalising Roast Pork, Char Siew and Roast Chicken in town, all slow cooked daily and made to order.

Red bean soya milk

The food speaks for itself and for good reason. Working closely with local suppliers, FA-faH! sources top quality meats from Rivalea, one of Australia’s leading integrated agri-food companies based alongside the Murray River, to ensure hero dishes that are bound to please.  

Double happiness: Char Siew and Roast Chicken

FA-faH! cooks up one of the better renditions of the popular hawker-style roasts. We tried two of their roasts, the Char Siew and Roast Chicken – both were absolutely delicious and tasted authentic. Each slice was juicy, tender and bursting with flavour. 

In addition to roasts, the menu serves up an eclectic mix of Chinese inspired dishes including Oodles of Noodles, nourishing and healthy hot soups like Scallop Chicken Soup and Apple Chicken Soup, rice dishes such as Char Siew Fried Fahn and Cereal Fried Fahn, and side plates including Black Pork, Crispy Eggplant, Long Beans and the classic Sweet and Sour Pork.

Village tofu

The village tofu was beautifully simple and delicious. It had a lovely crisp exterior and soft delicate interior.

Pork Hock 

Slow cooked over 24 hours to optimize the perfect balance of muscle, fat and crackle

The pork hock was legendary. It combined amazingly crisp pork hock skin, intensely flavoured with rich Asian style master stock, with delectably succulent pork and an intoxicating array of sauces and garnishes. Assembled similarly to a san choi bao, a lettuce cup is used as a “base” and then layered with sauce before adding some pulled pork hock and finished off with some garnish.

Black pork noodle

Sticky black caramalised pork in noodles

The beauty of this dish lay in the incredible sticky black pork belly. Each morsel was bursting with flavour. The pork belly skin was delightfully crispy and the meat was tender and succulent and covered in a luscious caramel sauce. This sauce coated each and every strand of noodle to create a thoroughly appetizing dish.

FA-faH! Is an exciting addition to Melbourne’s food scene. We were impressed by the high quality and taste of the dishes on offer and loved that the menu is very reasonably priced. We cannot wait to return!

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of FA-faH!