Bites: Bento Feast @ JBento, Victoria Park

Its my 4th time back in Perth only to be greeted by gloomy clouds and torrential rain.  Nevertheless, this was a good opportunity for me to be at home and get updated on the eateries in town which I have yet to dine at.  Naturally, the eateries within the vicinity of my area was my first search which landed me at part-time/pop-up eatery called Jbento. Operating 5 days a week, Monday to Friday from 11.30-2.30pm, Jbento serves Japanese/Korean inspired lunch boxes. Scanning the menu from top to toe, Jbento offers a whole array of Japanese delights like the all time favourites the Kaarage, Teriyaki, and Tempura with some even more premium traditional Japanese food like the simply grilled mackerel and miso butter steak.  If you are a big fan of the Korean culture, be delighted to see the likes Bulgogi and its spicy pork rendition the Jaeyuk Bokkum on the menu.

For the penny-wise, JBento happily takes the pinch off the pocket by catering free tea, so rock up the counter, pay for your food and start mixing your very own drink of macha.  Have it strong or subtle, I was happy that it was a premium free unlike Taka’s infamous brown tea which was back then, a varsity staple.

After ordering, the food does not take long to come and we got ours after about 5-10 minutes.  Initial impressions were positive.  I found that the dishes might sound very typical or simple if you would like, but came out with enough swag to impress.  It felt complete.  A serve of meat, three simple salads; one green, a marinate seaweed and a potato salad with two mounds of rice shaped and topped with rice seasoning.  Packed in a neat bento box, it was a beauty.

YH’s choice, the Spicy Pork Bulgogi or Jaeyuk Bokkum ($10.90) was first out.  Thin slices of pork coated in a sticky sauce that is sweet, spicy and salty had Korea written all over it with a personal touch of the chefs at JBento.  Least to say, I was happy.  The Bento Boxes at JBento also has three little salads on the side to cool the heat down while keeping the meal balanced. These together with the customary Bento shaped rice made this very nicely composed meal.

 

My choice of meal at JBento was the Miso Butter Steak Bento Box ($14.90).  While more pricey that its Teriyaki and Kaarage counterpart, the Miso Butter was a good enough reason for this order.

Expect tender pieces of chunky steak cooked to medium and topped by a knob of tantalising Miso butter.  Just watching it melt over the steak was sensational.  The whiff of butter through the dish made the end felt a little oily but the taste of Miso Butter was so rich and yummy.  I really enjoyed this.

Ever since Fuji closed in Victoria Park 4 years ago, I spend much time looking up and down the Albany Highway strip for a good Japanese only to drive away empty handed or go home disappointed.  I daresay that the quality Jbento bring to the table is superb despite only eating here once.  Do not get me wrong, nothing here reinvents the old but a touch of class in its presentation while acing the basic fundamentals make this a great quick bite.  In addition to that, the Bento Boxes are well priced and moderate in size but high in satisfaction.  Definitely a place that will join my list of places for a quick bite within the precinct.  Great stuff!

WenY

Melbourne Trip: Mount Buller Resort and Vietnamese Dinner at Pho Hung, Preston

Mount Buller was my last retreat in Melbourne before getting back to the daily grind. Going right after XL finished work meant that dinner had to come first. Naturally, I was more concerned about being stranded on the way up more than anything else.  When I think of comfort food in freezing cold weather, nothing beats a bowl of piping hot Pho.  For that we stopped by a suburban Vietnamese place in Preston called Pho Hung. 

For starters, a generous serve of rice paper rolls stuffed with pork.   Mix your own concoction of Siracha and Sweet Sauce before dipping them in :)!

Pho Hung’s house specialty is mixed tender chicken and beef pho.  It was a super generous serve.  I like the tender slices of meat paired with the silky smooth noodles. Just chewing the beef followed by a spoonful of warm tasty beef broth made this a rewarding exercise.  Whilst it was really yummy, the flavour of the broth was less potent that the ones I have had in Perth.  My perception maintains that Perth still has the best Vietnamese Pho in town haha.

The food quality here was good from start to end.  A very typical Vietnamese restaurant which stands as a classic rather than a contemporary but still every bit pleasing. Service here is prompt and necessary rather than overwhelming but more importantly, the price here is superbly decent.

Our night drive to Mount Buller was scary and challenging altogether.  Endurance is key despite the short drive because unlike driving on a normal road, the path up the mountain was steep and snowy.  Put extremely low visibility and tight corners into the equation and one would require a high level of concentration.  But when you are up there, the views were every bit rewarding!

The view from our lodge's balcony.  Absolutely stunning views.

The last picture from the resort before driving home :)!

WenY

Melbourne Trip: Winter Food Festival @ Luna 1878, Queen Victoria Market

Melbourne might be famous for laneway cafes, but Melbourne's rich culture is easily its next best feature.  For a foodie like myself, I was lucky to be there at a time when the Luna 1878 was held.  Every Wednesday night at Queen Victoria Market  visitors to the market are greeted with an amazing smell right from the door step.

Walking in, I was super excited to see all the different vendors come to promote their nationality.  Naturally, as a Malaysian, my first stop was at Mamak.  Fresh from the kitchen was a serve of Roti Telur and an Ayam Goreng.

The fried chicken was a reminisce of my eating trip with my ex-colleagues to Sydney last year.  Superbly more-ish especially in the chilly weather!   Have it together with the Roti Telur and some curry.  So  damn good! 

Walking on,  I was got all excited again when I saw a large pig getting all crisped up over a charcoal grill.  Initially, I mistook it for the Indonesian Babi Guling, but quickly realised it was a Filipino vendor called Hoy Pinoy.

Regardless of what it was, the roasted pig is always worth a try.  Thankfully, the pork was crisp and the meat was flavourful.  It came with a nice pickled vegetables.  The same delicious kind you get with the HK Barbecued restaurants in town.  All together it was quite a joy.  But I have to say, the rice was wet and I did hated that.  

Next stop was a cup of mulled wine.  Hearing so much about the drink, I wanted to try it although I am no big fan of alcohol.  This did not differ.  Despite the notes of orange peel and spices, it was still every bit bitter! 

But it was ok.  XL wandered away and unexpectedly returns with a serve of Italian grilled squid from 400 Gradi.   Weird choice but it was pretty nice.  Could have been a lot more tender!  But I had come to terms that these were not calamari tubes.  Instead, they were little octopuses which are  chewy as usual!

Wanting to finish our night with something warm, we ended up at the soup factory for a bread bowl filled with potato and leek soup.  Yummy!

Slowly scrapping the little bits of soup from the corners of the bowl was simply joyful.  Soaked with the soup it sits in, the bread made the whole experience very moreish.  Put Melbourne's chilly winter into the equation and the wonders that come is nothing you would not expect. :)!

Apple strudel was our dessert that night.  The Austrian strudel is denser than the usual Corica strudel but pack an amazing flavour to its crust.  But the fillings of custard and apples were a little lacklustre.  Ultimately, there are no better strudels than the one from Corica's in Perth!

Strudel for dessert anyone?  

By the end of the night we were so full we could barely walk across back to the apartment.  The Luna Night Market was an exceptional host for dinner last night.  So many different types of food were on and the pictures I took were barely half of the vendors that participated in the event.  There were tonnes of other Indian, Mexican and American establishment that were setup for business.  Whilst I definitely enjoyed it, many people might find the prices here a little steep which it really is by Melbourne standards.  But if you want a place that has it all and is looking for a great festival feeling, definitely come to Luna 1878 at Queen Victoria Market.

WenY