Assaggi Italiani

99 Glenferrie Rd
Malvern VIC 3144

Located on the southern end of Glenferrie Road, Assaggi Italiani is an easy short walk from Malvern Station.

Assaggi only recently started opening for lunch Thursday-Sunday. Working in the area, I couldn’t be more delighted to finally see what the reviews of this restaurant were all about.

No need to book if you are planning on visiting for lunch. The restaurant is usually pretty empty during their lunch service.

Pizza in the making

Mmm..

The wood fired pizza oven

Becco – Tomato base, bocconcini, ham off the bone, hot salami, capsicum & onions ($20)

Pretty good, lots of ingredients on top. 8/10

Can’t remember the name unfortunately. A cheese filled ravioli in brown butter sauce w/ sage topped with parmesan ($19.50)

This was also pretty tasty, however it got a bit too oily for me after a while. 7/10

Although on the pricier side, this restaurant is worth checking out for special occasions. There is also seats upstairs so I think it is safe to say they have can accommodate a fair amount of customers.

My experience at Assaggi Italiani was:
– Attentive and corteous staff
– Authentic
– Fresh

Food: 7/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10

Phamily Kitchen

374 Smith Street
Collingwood VIC 3066

Located along the eclectic Smith Street, the easiest public transportation route would be to catch Tram 86 towards Bundoora RMIT via Smith Street, get off at Stop 19-Johnston Street/Smith Street (Fitzroy) and from there it’s a 2-minute walk.

You could alternatively catch Tram 11 towards West Preston via Brunswick Street but this requires more walking time. There is also the bus, but my past experiences with them have not been great so I generally avoid buses like a plague.

Interior

Condiments and cutlery on the table

Specials

Menu had this section in it

Lemongrass Fried Chicken Ribs w/ Kewpie ($9)

I could not taste the lemongrass, it did however have a nice crunch to it. 7/10

Slaw w/ BBQ Chicken ($14)

I liked this dish the best. Chicken was a substantial amount, salad was fresh in flavour, overall a good price point dish. 9/10

And then it sort of went downhill from here..

Beef Brisket & Sirloin Pho ($14)

Just okay. Best pho is still located in suburbs like Footscray, Springvale & Richmond. Also, such a small serve of beanshoots. 5/10

Caramelised Pork Belly & Egg w/ Rice, Pickles, Cucumber ($16)

Also just okay, did not really stand out for me. 5/10

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Curry w/ Coconut Milk, Sweet Potato & Jasmine Rice ($16)

Thought this was pretty average as well. I expect curries to have more depth of flavour but this one seemed a bit underwhelming. 4/10

The fried egg was additional ($3 for 2) which we ordered with the pork belly dish in anticipation that the servings would be small.

We were right, servings were small, and we left the restaurant still hungry.

Considering Phamily Kitchen is located in Collingwood, I understand items won’t be priced like restaurants in Footscray, Richmond or Springvale. However, what I found most disappointing was for a Vietnamese fare, the portions were small, the flavours were lacking and I felt majority of the dishes were uninspiring.

My experience at Phamily Kitchen was:
– Attentive staff (I mean, there’s only approximately 5 tables. Furthermore, it was 8pm when I got there and it wasn’t full so how could you possibly go wrong)
– Underwhelming
– Dull

Food: 4/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10

Pastuso

19 ACDC Lane 
Melbourne VIC 300

Peruvian tapas bar and grill located in an alley off Flinders Lane. Walking down a dark alley, you are presented with bold golden Pastuso signage to welcome you in large heavy doors.

As I waited for my guest, the waiter was attentive and was welcoming. We decided we would choose the “Feed Me” Menu set ($59). Wine menu was extensive and we ordered a glass each of pinot noir and tempranillo.

View of the kitchen

Paruano – Ruby red snapper cured in lemon juice with caramelised sweet potato and cancha

Paruano was a great start to the set menu. Fresh and cooling with the right balance of acidity with the crunch of the cancha roasted corn kernels – 7/10

Anticuchos– Beef loin and swordfish skewers with grilled vegetables, huacatay and aji amarilo sauce

Both these skewers were beautifully grilled, and melt in your mouth with the right amount of heat. 8/10

Yucas – Cassava chips with spicy rocoto mayonnaise

The chips were slightly disappointing, not crispy and quite dry on the inside. 3/10

Beef Ribs from the fire

Not from the a la carte menu, these beef rib pieces lay on top of a bed of quinoa and were tender and juicy. Tasty 7/10

Supriro a La Limena – Creamy caramel with sherry marinated currents and pedro ximenez meringue

Super tasty. Like a creme caramel with a crispy meringue biscuit, perfectly balanced with those sherry currants. 8/10

Beso de chocolate – 72% Dark Peruvian chocolate with sour cherry ice cream and brazil nuts

Very chocolatey. Sour cherry icecream was supposed to be that balance to that rich chocolate. 6/10

Overall happy with the experience.

My experience at Pastuso was:
-Presented well
-Range of new flavours for people new to Peruvian food
-Delicious overall

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10

Bali Bagus

85 Franklin St 
Melbourne VIC 3000

Located opposite Aldi and also near Victoria Market, Bali Bagus is a simple restaurant serving Balinese food.

The people frequenting this restaurant are mostly students.

You order at the counter and cutlery and water is self-serve so I can’t comment too much on service.

Interior

Menu comes with pictures.

Pictures of the food were helpful since we didn’t know what most of the dishes were.

Iga Penyet – Grilled tenderised beef ribs w/ rice ($9.50)

Mostly fatty bits, not much meat & not as tender as it should be. 5/10

You can add on to your penyet meals. I got the Sayur Asem Plus – Sweet and sour vegetable soup ($2.50) to go with my beef ribs. My partner got Penyet Plus – Fried boiled egg, beancurd and tempeh ($3) to go with his fried barramundi.

Sayur Asem – Sour, very sweet (almost too sweet) & small in size for the price we paid. 4/10

Penyet Plus – More value for money compared to the soup, good variety & goes well with the penyet meals. 7/10

Ikan Bumbu Penyet – Fried whole barramundi fish w/ rice ($13)

Substantial in size, crispy & cooked well. 7/10

Our food

I wasn’t impressed at the entire experience however at the end of the day, it is a cheap eatery so don’t have too high expectations if you do consider trying the food.

I think the highlight was the whole barramundi at $13. Apart from that, everything else was rather mediocre. I find their meals rather unbalanced, especially when everything is so greasy, maybe more greens on the plate would have helped.

My experience at Bali Bagus was:
– Greasy
– Only the barramundi is worth ordering
– Underwhelming experience

Food: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambience: 6/10