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Category: Eating Out

A chronicle of our authors gastronomic adventures though the suburbs of Melbourne and beyond. Honestly, its not just self indulgence and gluttony, it’s a learning experience, and cultural enrichment.

Round the Way Bagels and burgers Ballarat

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WP_20160320_14_11_06_ProRound the way is one of my favourite, most loved establishments in the beautiful city of Ballarat, and possibly holds the crown of being the second eatery I visited in this fair town.
The unassuming name, “Round the way” doesn’t really give up much in it’s title initially….. the only hint that you can see in hindsight is the promise of big, round bagels.. as is indicated by the pile of the things on display in the front window. (YES! that’s a lot of bagels out there!- no false advertising in this place- what you see on display is truly what is on offer!

This  serves up particularly special, and addictive, absolutely delicious bagel burgers in a vaguely american WP_20160320_14_19_59_Prorockabilly cafe atmosphere.

Apparently, it also has a roving food truck / van thing that attends various events around Ballarat, all the way down to the surf coast, and for private catering such as weddings and corporate functions.- sadly, I have never caught sight of it yet, but that might be just an indidcation that i need to get a life and get out more.

The burgers are big, juicy and saucy, just the way any sane person likes them… and come with a few pretzels on the side for some reason. (Not that i’m complaining!)

The coffee is pretty good too- thankfully, despite the american diner atmosphere, they seem to have dispensed with the nasty dripolator coffee pot, (which is really only suitable for hard boiled american police with anger, substance abuse and family issues)- There’s a familiar espresso machine instead- not everything needs to be authentic!

Another thing to be sureWP_20160320_14_19_54_Pro not to miss is the sides. beautifully arranged appetisingly presented, and almost more
special than the main event, the massive, awesome burgers, are the crispy golden wedges, and potato salad, plus something else that was super tasty that I have forgotten the identity of.

Great value too- I think the trio of sides was around $12. The burger was pricey, but definitely worth it for a treat, or a cute lunchdate with the lass, which is what i did on this occasion. The burger + sides shared and coffee each was enough to satisfy one hungry man, and one small girl. I think our bill was round $35.

Address: 30 Main road, Bakery Hill, Victoria, 3350

http://www.roundtheway.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/roundthewayfoodtruck

https://twitter.com/round_the_way

https://www.instagram.com/round_the_way/

Nshry cafe restaurant bar Middle Park Pier – Albert Park Melbourne

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Nshry. its an odd name, for a cafe that makes dishes that are, well, just a little bit odd, but in a very gooooood way!

Its not often that I can say that I’ve had a truly exceptional meal, but at Nsry, I certainly did!

As the name, and the paper crane logo suggests, this cafe is a wee bit foreign in inspiration, most likely Asian.

Why do I think this? Mexican standards like chilli bean tacos end up deconstructed in a bowl, with rice inserted into the mix,  with the Korean favourite of a random egg cracked on top, Japanese panko crumbles feature prominently, as does wasabi, sesame mayo and all the other delicious things that make asian food truly delicious and great. Theres that, and the fact that the owner, Michael Nham (pictured below) comes from a Vietmanese and Taiwanese cultural background. Next time i go back, ill have to ask what inspiration is truly behind the name.

At first glance, the menu contains all sorts of typical standard cafe fare… but then you look closely, and you realise that its anything but a normal offering. its inspired, its different, and above all, its tasty. Tasty enough to write about with passion, that’s for certain. Nsry lunch menu

We chose the Taco rice bowl, and the “Umami” burger. They were expensive lunch options, at over $20, but hey, we had just gotten engaged, and the location at the foot of the pier looking over the beach, with the Spirit of Tasmania docked in the distance was a nice atmosphere.

A nice touch was that in the outdoor dining area, because it was a cold day, woolen blankets were supplied to wrap oneself in (or snuggle up in).

Anyway, back to the food. The Umami burger, which consisted of a beautiful marriage in a BIG fat intensely satisfying pattie consisted of a unique and well thought out mix of both Wagu and Angus beef, married with slow roasted tomato and onion jam came with a little selection of very, very exceptional sides- a sesame coleslaw with micropickles, and very crispy, very golden fat chips, and three dipping sauces, traditional sweet tomato, garlic aoli, and chilli mayo.

Anyhow, little did I know at the time, but this burger won a prize as burger of the the year, 2011, and little has changed about it ever since. You don’t mess with perfection, clearly.

The Umami Bruger of Nsry, middle park pier, Burger of the year, 2011.

Thanks to the following blog posts that I borrowed photos from:

http://theburgeradventure.com/2012/02/the-burger-of-the-year-2011/

https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/restaurants/nshry

http://www.bambinoweekend.com/nshry/

 

http://nshry.com.au/

129A Beaconsfield Parade

Albert Park, Victoria

03 9682 1077

Tuesday – Sunday

8am to 4pm

Little Creatures Canteen and Brewery- Geelong

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Located in a warehousy and light commercial part of Geelong, the little creatures brewery was bought inlittle_creatures_brewery_geelong_indoor_seating_canteen 2011, and opened in 2013, pumping out fresh, light tasting and bright flavored beers.

Attached to the working factory, is the little creatures canteen, and the White Rabbit Barrel Hall.

The brewery and canteen is situated in an old woolen mill complex, tastefully restored, that the company won little_creatures_brewery_geelong_heritage_awardheritage awards for.

The food is excellent, and despite the canteen being in a big, open warehouse, the atmosphere is warm, bright and inviting, topped off with good service from cheery and enthusiastic staff.

 

I ordered the burger special, a nice big pizza, coffee and a Chai tea with honey for the lass.

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_canteen_chai_teaThe Chai tea was unusually well presented, and of great quality, being loose leaf, and freshly brewed- there was no powdered or tea bag option nonsense being pandered around here on the surf coast, unlike in Melbourne.

 

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_canteen_burgerThe burger was tasty, reasonably priced, and the chips were nice and crispy. In fact, the chips came WITH the burger, and I didn’t have to pay extra for once, despite this being a “hip” and “cool” establishment.

 

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_canteen_pizzaPizza was a stone and wood baked affair, with fresh and good quality ingredients sprinkled on top. more than satisfying.

 

There were a lot of cool little spaces and things go look at, and go ahh, and ooh!, at the brewery, and it was a pleasure to wander around and have a good stickybeak.

The beer tours are only $12, so next time I’m going to book into one and check it out- wandering around industrial facilities are always fascinating, even if you are not in the industry, and just a hack home brewer like myself.

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_outdoor_seating_canteen little_creatures_brewery_geelong_piano

For some reason, there’s a badly tuned honky-tonk piano outside in a container you can have a bash on in any state of tipsyness, and because it a pretty big property, you can borrow a bike to ride about on if you feel inclined, just ask the bar staff, though don’t get crabby if they say NO because of the jug of beer they know you just drank by yourself with lunch.

All in all, its a fine place to go for a lunch date with a pretty lass, and that’s exactly what I did that day.

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_bike_hire

The brewing process in diagrams- click to enlarge

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_heritage_storyboard1little_creatures_brewery_geelong_heritage_storyboard2

Images of the current menu as of winter 2016 as are below, or check out the links to the current menu on the following links:

Food menu- little creatures canteen Geelong

Drinks Menu- little creatures canteen geelong

little_creatures_brewery_geelong_canteen_menu2 little_creatures_brewery_geelong_canteen_menu1

221 Swanston St, Geelong VIC 3220

Monday – Tuesday: 10am – 5pm

Wednesday – Friday: 10am – 10pm

Saturday: 8am – 10pm (Brunch available)

Sunday: 8am – 10pm (Brunch available)

Phone: (03) 5202 4009

 

https://littlecreatures.com.au/locations/geelong/the-canteen

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