It would be easy to be overshadowed if your stablemate is the ever-popular Red Spice Road. Burma Lane is headed up by Executive Chef John McLeay, who also looks after RSR, and the menu takes inspiration from both modern and traditional Burmese food, injected with a Modern Australian twist. The multi-level restaurant is dark and modern, and the contemporary feel is furthered by walls featuring local art and a colourful mural of now State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi. [caption id="attachment_12191" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Pork Belly w Pickled Green Mango,...

Mabrown, the venerable house of quail in Balwyn, expanded to the CBD a few years ago bringing their signature dish with them. Walk into Southern Cross lane using Australia Post as your landmark, and keep a look out for the red signage. Unlike its much older and well-established Balwyn cousin, whose white tablecloths, white napkins and high-backed chairs are more typical of Chinese restaurants, the CBD branch has a much more casual style, almost like a Chinese cafe. [caption id="attachment_12055" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Tea Tarik ($4)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12051" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Salt...

Of course, New Shanghai is famous for their dumplings, but they also serve a wide range of dishes that don’t involve those special bites of goodness. As much as I love their New Shanghai pan-fried dumplings, we decided save some stomach space in order to explore the other options on the menu. [caption id="attachment_11835" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Steamed 'Lion's Head' meatball in broth, crab meat and Chinese chestnut ($7.50)[/caption] We started with the steamed Lions head meatball in broth with crab meat and Chinese chestnuts. The broth was beautifully light yet...

In a street full of mostly Vietnamese restaurants (it is Victoria Street after all) and a scattering of Thai, a few Korean restaurants have started to appear in the mix. Seoul Soul, Chimac and Arisoo provide a bit of variety in the cuisine available here. In preparation for our holiday to Korea, I wanted to bring my parents to a Korean restaurant to whet their palates. Arisoo is a small, simple restaurant halfway between Collingwood Station and The Hive. Apparently serving authentic home-style dishes, I thought it was the...

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