Gong De Lin

264 Swanston Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000

I met up with Brendan below the sign for Gong De Lin on bustling Swanston Street, before taking the lift up three floors and stepping into the smart and tranquil environment of the restaurant. Most of the tables are in booths and we were seated at one of these. There weren't too many other diners on the Tuesday which complimented the peaceful vibe. The menu is large and features a range of vegetarian dishes, we both picked ended up picking from the noodle and rice dish section which worked well for lunch.

Brendan doesn't normally pick out veggie meals when we head out for lunch, but was happy to give it a whirl on this occasion. He went for the vegetable dumpling noodle soup which looked the part and he enjoyed.

I had the vegetarian shredded pork in Szechuan style on rice. I've enjoyed a few mock meat dishes in the past and was ken to find out how this version measured up. The mock pork was closer to shredded ham in my opinion, but pretty close to the mark. The sauce was spicy without being overpowering and the ingredients worked well together.

The service was friendly and efficient. Each of the dishes came in at $12.80, although there are dishes on the menu that go for quite a bit more. If you do decide to take the elevator up to check out the vegetarian choices on offer, there should be something to take your fancy.

Seasons of Gold preview at Burma Lane

118 Little Collins Street,
Melbourne,
Vic 3000

We were invited to the 'Seasons of Gold' preview at Burma Lane as members of their 'bite club' which promised an evening of 'food, beer and wine combined with art and creativity, showcasing four up and coming Australian-Asian photographers'. The works were projected onto an interior wall alongside the Mike Eleven mural, and we managed to catch glimpses from the upstairs mezzanine were the event unfolded. Whilst we enjoyed a range of the current entrees, the group executive chef John McLeay chatted with the guests. We spoke about Footscray, visits to Myanmar and other South East Asian adventures, both culinary and otherwise! He certainly seems to have packed alot into his time... He mentioned that the menu has diverged from the original Burmese focus, but is one of his favourites.

The dishes we tried included the delicate Shan tofu which was topped with smashed tomato, radish, herbs and peanuts.

The smoked eel with fennel, herbs and roe on a crispy potato cake tasted as good as it looked.

The green pea fritter with tomato curry and roasted carrot yoghurt wrapped in betel leaf is a favourite of mine and hit the spot as expected.

The Duck, shiitake mushroom and water chestnut doughnut with chilli rock sugar salt and sour cherry is flavour combination like nothing I'd experienced before and is certainly worth a try!

It was a very enjoyable event and I'm sure we'll be back again for a meal soon...