ayomo, south melbourne

Banella waffle from Ayomo, with lots of banana and Nutella, served with a dollop of frozen yogurt.

I know, I know. We're in the middle of a chilly Melbourne winter right now. But I don't care. I'm still eating fro-yo (soft serve frozen yoghurt) when the cravings strike.

One of the things I will miss about working in South Melbourne is being in close proximity to Ayomo (226 Clarendon St, South Melbourne). Their cute name is derived from the phrase "A Yoghurt Moment". The people there are always nice and friendly, and they make some tempting fro-yo.

I've been there a few times since I first discovered it last year. They have both their standard natural and signature macadamia yoghurt all-year-round, with other flavours filling in the roster as they see fit. If you're not sure what to get, you can try samples first. And what I really like is that even when I get the small serving (which in my opinion is still quite generously sized), I can opt for more than one flavour in the cup. Awesome!

I've tried the lychee, which was graceful and floral, the young coconut, which was beautifully light with a taste that is more like coconut water than coconut cream. I've also tried the dairy-free mango, and the more indulgent salted caramel. So far, though, their signature macadamia fro-yo trumps all others, for me at least - it's gentle, tangy, just faintly sweet, and wins me over with the subtle, but distinctive nutty taste of macadamia.

The frozen yoghurt here is good enough to enjoy plain by themselves, but Ayomo offers an array of toppings, too, and my favourite is the halva.

There are other items on the menu as well, like the waffles in the picture above. They certainly don't skimp on the ingredients, as you can see from the plentiful slices of banana and lashings of Nutella on mine. Served with a frozen yoghurt of your choice, it makes for a very filling dessert.

Due to my big move, I don't know when I'll next visit Ayomo again. But hey, who knows? I may be back in Melbourne one day, and perhaps I'll even ask them if they have any job openings - it would be pretty cool to work in their Flavour Lab...

Frozen yoghurt from Ayomo with various toppings.

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n. lee bakery cafe, south melbourne

Banh mi for lunch, anyone?

I have recently taken to visiting N.Lee Bakery Cafe (234 Clarendon St, South Melbourne) during my work lunch breaks to grab takeaway Vietnamese sandwiches - banh mi - for a change.

The staff here are cheerful, friendly, and generous with their smiles, even during peak hour. If you get there around 1pm, be prepared for a queue, but the wait generally isn't too bad. They make the banh mi to order, and the meat is heated up in a pan so it's still warm in the roll when it gets to you. If you like a bit of a kick to your banh mi (and I so, so do), remember to ask for chilli.

Their banh mi aren't the cheapest you can get in Melbourne, but at around the $7 mark they are still pretty good value for a tasty lunch, considering we're in a more expensive suburb here. The bread roll is crisp, the vegetables fresh, the meat warm and juicy.

Here is the grilled pork banh mi. (I only wish the meat didn't have that artificial red colouring.)

Grilled pork banh mi from N.Lee Bakery Cafe in South Melbourne. ($6.80)

And here is the chicken banh mi.

Chicken breast banh mi from N.Lee Bakery Cafe in South Melbourne. ($6.80)

I have only ever been to the South Melbourne shop, and I'm satisfied with both the service and the food there, but I hear they also have stores in CBD and Collingwood. If I happen to be craving a sandwich when I'm in those areas, I guess I know where I can go!




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a long weekend, and a mussel festival

Paella at the Port Phillip Mussel Festival, South Melbourne Market.

Just a hastily written post today, to mention the mussel-licious long weekend I've had!

The Port Phillip Mussel Festival (part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival) was held at South Melbourne Market on Saturday and Sunday, where fresh mussels were sold by the bucket, and a fun variety of mussel dishes were on offer. And let's not forget - live music and a great crowd.

(I also witnessed a few people - one of whom was an almost-naked dude, save for his bright red underwear and bandanna - parading down the sidewalk while doing some kind of dance with whole, raw fish in their hands, and I have no idea what that was about. If anyone can solve the mystery, please do!)

But anyway.

I wandered around and found this bargain of a dish from the Turkish restaurant, Koy - mussels in tomato and feta sauce. It was $5 for a small plate, which is considered good value for typically pricey festival food in Australia. I was happy with what I got for my money. Plump, juicy mussels, at least half a dozen of them, in a spicy, tangy tomato sauce with feta cubes liberally dotted throughout. I lapped it up.

Mussels in tomato and feta Turkish sauce ($5).

But wait, there's more! We have a public holiday on Monday, and my friend Leon invited me over for home-cooked mussels in a chilli-kaffir-lemongrass coconut milk broth. We enjoyed that with steamed rice for a delightfully filling meal. Additionally, he treated me to creamy brie with some wondrous fig jam, plus Guinness beer; while I proffered fragrant Malaysian biscuits and a refreshing achacha beverage.

A merry food exchange this was, indeed.

Mussels cooked in coconut milk with chilli, kaffir lime leaf, and lemon grass.

How was your weekend?

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kebabs r yummy, south melbourne

lamb kebab from kebabs r yummy, $9.50.

I cannot believe I have been working in South Melbourne for the past few years, and have only discovered Kebabs R Yummy on 192 Well St this year. It's enough to make a greedy food-lover like me weep ever-so-gently on the inside with could've-been regret and it's-not-too-late joy.

Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little. But seriously, the food here is lip-smackingly delicious and great value. And the head honcho lady who runs the joint - she's a dear. Not only do I love coming here to get my work lunches, I sometimes visit after work to grab takeaway dinner as well. (Not both on the same day, though, that's probably a bit excessive and would likely result in a meat coma.)

My first experience here was back in January, and I got the lamb kebab, which is what you see in the picture up there. This is a hearty hunk of crisp-at-the-edges lamb döner kebab goodness, strewn with fresh onions, lettuce and tomato, deftly drizzled with chilli and garlic sauce on a nice warm slab of Turkish bread. It's mighty, it's piquant, it's carnal. It is also the only work lunch I've ever bought to have defeated me, thus far. I've never had trouble finishing the takeaways I get, especially if they're as tasty as this one was, but I really struggled here and in the end I had to admit there was going to be leftover bread.

On my next trip I went for the Combo Meat on Top, where I got three salads of my choice, plus lamb and chicken on top, and, of course, feisty lashes of that chilli and garlic sauce. This has subsequently become a favourite of mine for takeaway work lunches. Being a fork-friendly meal, it is less messy to deal with, and easier to eat at my desk. I mean, let's face it, I will never resemble anything remotely close to a sophisticated professional, but at least going for this dish means that I am less likely to be mistaken for an awkward cavewoman. Plus, I really like the salads here as well - they are always nicely seasoned, and do a nifty job of balancing out all that meat. You can't see them hiding underneath in the picture below, so you'll just have to trust me on this. I usually get the eggplant, green beans, and mixed roast vegetables, but there are heaps of other options.

(chicken and lamb) combo meat on top from kebabs r yummy, $9.90.

So, in conclusion, if you ever find yourself in South Melbourne and you're craving something big, meaty and satisfying (that's what she said), give Kebabs R Yummy a go. It may even be worth a slight detour.

Because, as it turns out, the kebabs here are pretty yummy.



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