Nieuw Amsterdam, Melbourne CBD

 Time travel takes us back to Melbourne's CBD and under a swift recommendation from brother Andrew, Patty and I head on over to Nieuw Amsterdam (106-112 Hardware Street, Melbourne CBD). This quirky new restaurant/bar has an uncanny New Yorkesque vibe that stems from the black, lacquered wood out front to the bistro and cocktail bar inside.

House Made Bread & Butter

 We're served at the table and provided a plateful of warm salted bread with some butter. Life is so much better with bread and butter.

Too drunk to remember what I had
naaa I actually just forgot, if only though

Whiskey Smash
Bourbon, Fresh Lemon & Mint
over Cruched Ice

 With the entire antarctic; penguins and all, inside of this cocktail glass, Patty and I knew this would be an icey situation (yeahyeahyeah not bad, not your best one though). A beautiful citrusy concoction of bourbon and lemon with a sprig of mint. Simple, elegant and it was as refreshing as ice ... alright mate.

Chicken Waffles
Pate, Terrine, Crispy Chicken Skin, Orange Caramel

 The description says it all really. Our favourite dish of the night and these waffles will get you into a kerfuffle! Doesn't rhyme at all, whatever. Toasted square waffles form the base for a healthy brick of terrine and a delicate quenelle of pate. To top each individual waffle off is a crackled chicken skin and a drop of tart orange caramel. The flavours on this plate were enough to put your tongue into a coma, fortunately it didn't though. You won't want to have waffles for breakfast again, I'll tell you that much.

Pork Trotter & Ham Hock Nuggets
with Burnt Onion Jam

 Essentially pigs leg nuggets, but that doesn't sound very appetising does it? Maybe to my dog. These little rippers are sitting on a squidge of burnt onion jam that was very subtle but the main attraction delivered an awfully good mouthful. The pork trotter and ham hock mixture inside had all the nit and grit which gave these nuggets sensational flavour.


WARNING: So ... what happened next was a catastrophe! Naaa it really wasn't haha. Our appetisers had come in pretty quick time however our mains took a little over an hour to make its way to our table. Patty and I didn't really care though because we were on holiday and it was understandable given that they had only opened their doors a few weeks before. For memory I think we had staring competitions to pass time.

Rabbit Meatballs
Hand Rolled Tagliatelle, Soffrito, Roast Tomato Sauce

 After staring at Patty on the opposite side of the table turn from a beautiful, youthful woman into a wrinkly, leathery grandma all in the space of an hour, our rabbit meatballs finally came! And boy ... was it NOT worth the wait =(. I was so looking forward to eating my own species in ball form but they were really overcooked and that sucked all the life out of the dish. The normally gorgeous tagliatelle was dry and stuck together like wet socks. I need a shoulder right now =(

Southern Style Pork Belly Chops
with Sauerkraut, Apple Sauce, Crackling

 We venture to the mud for some more pork and stumble across this southern styled pork belly. Maybe it was the wait, but this too didn't taste that amazing. The pork was cooked well and the crackling was crisp but there was nothing very special about it. Tasted like pork and veggies. Still good though?

 We also had a tomato salad as well but we decided it didn't deserve a photo.

Pumpkin Donuts
with Kentucky Bourbon Cream

 The night took another U-turn (don't worry it didn't happen over doubled lines, so it was perfectly legal ... haha, that was okay. I'll give it a 7/10) for the night when these little babies arrived to the table. Soft, warm and sugary ... like little babies, these pumpkin batter donuts were mouthfuls of baby goodness. The bourbon cream was so light and added a slight caramelly sweetness. Miss these things.


 Despite Patty watching the hairs on my chin grow for most of the night, we walked out of Nieuw Amsterdam happy and full. We highly recommend the appetisers but the mains seemed very bland for the night, but that may have just been a one off. It's such an interesting place with a great atmosphere and some unique food! Definitely worth giving a go.


Bunny Rating-
Category: Melbourne, Dining

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken, Sydney CBD

 The fried chicken franchise that originates from Taiwan, Hot Star Large Fried Chicken (96 Liverpool Street, Sydney CBD) has landed in Sydney, albeit next to a really seedy thai massage place and around the corner from the icky, sticky Bar Century. A perfect location for fried chicken then, wouldn't you think? I have their marketing strategy all figured out (I'm not just a pretty face). What? Back to fried chicken. So Hot Star is renown for their face sized fried chicken schnitties (does have a bone though) although they do have other fried goodies on their menu  such as chicken bites, fried shrooms and sweet potato.

Check out that wrist protection

Don't like that powerpoint so close to the fryer

 Conveniently Hot Star is open from 11am till 12am from Sunday - Thursday and 11am - 2am for the partygoers on a Friday/Saturday night. After our visit to the Local Taphouse with the boys and a quick pit stop at Messina, we decided to finish the evening off with some light, hearty supper at Hot Star.

Original Fried Chicken ($7.90)

 When standing outside and waiting for your chicken to be cooked by men wearing man-ly wrist protectors, your nose seems to lose itself in the glorious smell of fried goodness. This heart shaped crusted chicken is ironically not the best thing for you but it does somehow however symbolise our love for one another (I'm talking to the chicken). The batter on the outside is quite thick and unfortunately ours was a little bit chewy rather than crispy and crunchy. The meat inside however, was deliciously moist and tender with every bite taken. I'd suggest taking a handful of serviettes!

Our love is like fried chicken;
moist, encrusted & delicious - Bernard (2014)

 There's not much more that needs to be said about Hot Star's chicken. It's probably one of the most ideal things to have on a boozy night out because it'll absorb alcohol like a sponge. In a way it'd be so efficient and absorbent that it'd make you sober, so take caution. 

Bunny Rating-
Category: Fried Stuff, Snacks

The Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst

 Alas, it is uni season yet again and so 'da boyz' (+ Patty) decide to bury our sorrows at The Local Taphouse (122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst) for a casual night out. With a bigger brother also located in St Kilda, I was keenly anticipating the visit.  The 'menu' looked so irresistible online and the only thing stopping me taking a bite out of the monitor was the fact that it would probably break my teeth. Little did I know that the Sydney Taphouse had an entirely different menu. Compare this one at St Kilda's (menu) and then this one in Darlinghurst (menu), it barely seems fair! (Jacky actually called the place to see if they served the smoked ale  beef burger to which the person on the phone replied 'yes we do', they lied!!!). I was visibly upset when we eventually walked into The Local Taphouse, and into our demise. 

It Takes Beer to Make Thirst Worthwhile

Rooftop Cinema

  Tuesday coincided with The Local Taphouse screening a silent cinema up top with a $10 admission fee. It was however ... literally a silent cinema because no one was actually there to attend *tumbleweed*. Due to the lack of audience, we stole the rooftop and it became our picturesque setting for the night. 

 Above is the 'Prickly Moses Blueberry Hefe', a refreshing and highly aromatic beer with hints of blueberry. Anyhow maybe it was just the person behind the bar but their pouring was strange to say the least. After waiting a fair few anxious moments for my beer I squizzed over to have a look and saw the bartender pouring head into one glass and transferring it over to the top of my beer. Strange stuff. Nevertheless, yum!

The Boys + Patty

There she is...

Drankkkkssss!

 From left to right:

Chanka had: To Øl Sans Frontière (a belgian dark ale)

Jacky had: 4 Pine Keller Door Calypso Single Hopped Ale

Patty had: Batlow Cloudy Apple Cider

Brett had: The Grifter Cold War (wheat beer)

I had: Prickly Moses Blueberry Hefe

Chilli Fries

 Don't worry, I'm as shocked as you are. Yes, these are the supposed chilli fries. Spot the chilli. There it is on the sour cream dipping sauce provided on the side. As consolation, the chips were awesomely beer battered and hit the spot quite well. However in the end, these aren't chilli fries guys, get your act together taphouse or I'll blow it down with a huff and a puff and a chainsaw.

Spicy Zucchini Fries
with housemade aioli

 Yum yum yum, zucchini fries. These were coated in a generous heap of spice and fried with beer batter. Perfect as a light snack accompanied with some beer, you won't regret it. 

The Beef Burger
Beef Patty on Toasted Organic Bun with
Cheddar, Lettuce, Pickles & Tomato Relish

 Since there was no smoked ale beef burger, I settled for the generic beef burger. There was nothing to really fault about the burger at all because the patty was juicy, the lettuce was crisp and everything else just went well together! I was still sad though, I'm sorry I let you down boys. 

Mushroom Burger
Field Mushrooms, Zucchini, Eggplant on a
Toasted Organic Bun with Pesto Aioli

 Patty was kept busy with her mushroom burger that looked ever more tempting with a slab of mushroom poking out through the side. Looks like the burger is ready to joust! Can you imagine that ... burger jousting. Amazing. I'd sit on the floor waiting for a burger to be pummeled by a mushroom sword and gather the remains of the recently deceased victim. Cannibalism at its finest. Nevermind me. Anyhow, a burger for the 'veggos' which is packed with some decent flavour and awesome pesto aioli. 

Pulled Pork Burger
Fenner & Cider Braised Pork Shoulder

 Marcus and Brett had a pulled pork burger each. They said it was good. And thats about all the detail I can give you. Thanks for the detailed description boys. 

1kg Boston Bay Mussels
All pots are served with organic bread, shoestring fries
& French mustard mayonnaise

2 sauces the boys had
- Provencale: cooked with tomato, garlic & fresh herbs
- Au Congo: cooked with coconut cream, lemongrass, kaffir lime & chilli

 Jordan & Ravin shared the Provencale whilst Chanka & Jacky went for the Au Congo. The sauces were full of flavour and super intense, enough to knock my socks off (well I was wearing thongs, so technically they were off anyways).

300gm Sirloin
with Sauce, Chips & Salad

 Jeff Tan devoured his sirloin whilst putting on 300 grams in the process. He too was very thorough with the description, telling me that the steak was 'alright'. Cheers bro.

 Sitting on the rooftop, feeling the light autumn breeze at our fingertips and watching the clear blue sky relinquish into the dimness of dusk, it was a perfect setting for a tame night out with the boys. Our expectations were crushed from the burger that did not exist but the food served from The Local Taphouse satisfied us enough. After the dinner, we made the short walk to Messina for some gelato and the night was automatically saved.

Bunny Rating-
Category: Burgers, Pub/Bar