Pud Thai vs Pho

Shop 4, 60 Siddeley St
Docklands, VIC 3008

This small Thai/Vietnamese restaurant is a lovely little hidden gem.

Located in the WTC (World Trade Centre) Wharf precinct on the north bank it is just a few steps away from the Seafarers Bridge which links to the South Wharf restaurant/shopping precinct. 

I have dined here a number of times but I must admit I have not tried their Pud Thai or Pho!

Rice Paper Roll - $5 each

The prawn rice paper rolls were delicious.  Full of fresh vegetables and herbs. I love the translucency of the rice paper.

Dumplings - $5

The steamed prawn dumplings with a soy dipping sauce were very moreish little morsels.

Spring Rolls

And .. Spring Rolls

Now I didn't have the spring rolls but according to my friend who ordered them, she definitely ordered spring rolls on two different occasions, but as you can see they arrived looking quite different!  Maybe different chefs on different days?  Either way she enjoyed both versions.  Neither of us can remember what she was charged but the online menu says $5 per serve.

Thai Beef Salad - $12.90

I have had this Thai beef salad a few times and love it.  Its light, has lots of beautiful fresh salad and herbs and a very spicy dressing.

Lemongrass Beef - $11.90

I also really enjoyed this lemongrass beef dish.  The sauce was delicious and you add as much as you like to the bowl.  Fragrant and tasty.

BBQ Pork - Flame grilled marinated pork neck - $15.90

My friend had this pork dish which was served with sweet chilli sauce and jasmine rice.  She really enjoyed it and said she would order it again.  I thought it looked a bit dry but I think that is more to do with my average photography skills than the actual dish!

Tom Yum Noodle - $10.90

 
And finally on a cool day I ordered the Tom Yum Noodle which is described as soup noodles with vegetables, tomato, lime leaf and chicken (you can also chose beef or seafood). This was my least favourite dish though there was nothing wrong with it - it just wasn't quite what I was expecting.  But having said that it was a very generous serve and great value for money.  I struggled to finish the bowl and it was packed full of noodles and vegetables.  I just felt the flavour of the broth was missing something. 

Maybe I should have ordered the Pho!!

Riverside Teppanyaki by Kobe Jones

Riverside Teppanyaki by Kobe Jones  

G16 Siddeley St   

World Trade Center
Docklands 3008

Riverside Teppanyaki is part of the Kobe Jones restaurant located at the WTC wharf and features the largest teppanyaki table in Australia with 19 cooking stations. 

We had a scoopon voucher which allowed us to spend up to a certain value.  We opted for one of the set menus and were very happy with our choice.  The food was all beautifully fresh and watching the chef expertly prepare the courses on the teppan was enjoyable. 

Flaming No 1 Special.  Crab salad with avocado is wrapped in Hiramasa kingfish and flamed on the teppan with a secret sauce.

Hot Mushroom Salad.  Fresh greens topped with a selection of oyster and enoki mushrooms flavoured with seaweed butter.

Salmon tsutsumi-yaki.  Gently poached in mirin and soy sauce, then packaged in foil and puff-baked on the teppan.  This was a beautiful way to cook the fish.  The end result was succulent and melted in your mouth.

Garlic rice.  Carb goodness!

Red and white miso soup.  A standard version of miso soup but as it came at the end of the meal I was very full and could only manage a taste.

To finish - the Chef's special dessert.  The Coconut and Ginger icecream was delicious, light and refreshing.  The macarons were just ok and cold as if they had just come out of the refrigerator.  Our macaron flavours were berry, salted caramel and peppermint. 

Overall we really enjoyed this meal and have been back a number of times for their lunch special.  

At $23.50 I think the Teppan lunch special is great value. It starts with a lovely fresh salad and includes garlic rice, miso soup and your choice of chicken, fish or tofu and mushroom and spinach cooked on the teppan. On this occasion my friend and I chose to share the chicken and fish of the day (salmon).  Once again the salmon was a definite highlight.  Perfectly cooked and beautiful when dipped into one of the three sauces provided - teriyaki, ponzu and my favourite the citrus miso.  Divine!

  

Kobe Jones

Kobe Jones
G16 Siddeley St 
World Trade Center
Docklands 3008

Kobe Jones is located next door to The Wharf Hotel and close to Byblos  sharing their fantastic riverside location at the WTC (World Trade Centre) Wharf.  Located on the north bank of the Yarra River opposite the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (known to many as "Jeff's Shed") the WTC Wharf is easily accessible from Spencer Street or Siddeley Street.   

I have lunched at Kobe a number of times with friends and we have been impressed with the food and service each time. 

There are two parts to this Japanese restaurant - Kobe Jones and the Riverside Teppanyaki by Kobe Jones. I will review the Teppanyaki side of the restaurant soon.  The meal detailed below was a set menu enjoyed at lunch.  We had a Scoopon voucher and we were more than happy with the value for money, food and overall experience. 

 We began with Edamame.

These moreish soya beans were steamed and salted and were lovely to nibble with our drinks.  Simply addictive!

 
A delicious Sashimi Salad followed.  

SASHIMI SALAD - garden greens topped with fresh sashimi,
crab salad, drizzled with ponzu dressing

The salad was lovely.  The sashimi was beautifully fresh and the ponzu dressing was delicious.  It was also a beautifully presented dish - I loved the soft pinks and apricot colours of the fish.

VOLCANO ROLL - oven baked scallops layered on a crab salad,
avocado roll, with special cream sauce and sesame seed and shallot sprinkle

Next was the Volcano Roll - oven baked scallops in a cream sauce.  Very rich but very delicious!

CHICKEN KARA AGE – Marinated chicken coated in seasoned potato flour, shallow fried, served with 
teriyaki sauce and chilli mayonnaise

Fried chicken! What's not to love?  Crispy and beautifully seasoned - we really enjoyed this.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA – Seasoned vegetables served with dipping sauce

More fried goodness - in this case vegetable tempura.  The delicate, light batter was crispy and there was a nice selection of vegetables.

MUSHROOM MEDLEY TOBANYAKI – Oven baked assortment of exotic mushrooms in a special cream sauce

The mushroom medley was very tasty and filling.  Another very rich dish with a creamy sauce. 
 

Overall this was a very rich, decadent meal and we enjoyed it immensely.  It wasn't until afterwards that we released that we were supposed to get miso soup and rice as part of this menu.  We were not worried that these had been forgotten as we would have struggled to eat any more food! 

Part 2 - Riverside Teppanyaki by Kobe Jones - coming very soon :)

   

The Wharf Hotel

The Wharf Hotel

18-38 Siddeley St 

WTC Wharf 3005

Like Byblos the Wharf Hotel is located in the WTC (World Trade Centre) Wharf precinct. Located on the north bank of the Yarra River opposite the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (known to many as "Jeff's Shed") the WTC Wharf is easily accessible from Spencer Street or Siddeley Street. 

The Wharf Hotel is close to my work and has quickly become the place of choice for a quick lunch time coffee, an after work drink or a delicious meal.  The staff are great and I love the outdoor couch area overlooking the river.

Here are some of the dishes enjoyed by myself and friends at The Wharf.

The Wharf’s parma, steak chips & leafy greens $22

Steak chips, aioli $8.50

Heirloom tomato, crumbled feta & aged balsamic bruschetta $9.50

 

Pumpkin, pine nuts, fetta, balsamic onions $14

And a closer look!

Spanish chorizo, blistered tomato, garlic, chilli, rocket $16

The pizzas are particular favourites and great value.

Zucchini & corn fritters, coriander, yoghurt sauce $8

Chorizo, cheese & potato croquettes, chilli aioli $9

I loved the fritters and croquettes - delicious!  The chilli aioli was very moreish with just the right amount of bite.  Lovely enjoyed with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc!