Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Ponyfish Island, Melbourne Location: Under the Evan Walker Bridge, on the Yarra River, Melbourne, Australia Featured Items: Pony Tuna Sandwich ($17 AUD), Margherita Pizza ($15 AUD on Mondays, normally $26 AUD) Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The Pony Tuna is the better pick. The pizza is just alright, but the riverside seating and the breeze make this a lovely spot. I'm still pretty jetlagged, so after work we decided to have a quick dinner at Ponyfish Island. It's a bar under the Evan Walker Bridge, and you get to enjoy a meal right on the same level as the Yarra River. We ordered the Margherita Pizza because it's only $15 on Mondays (normally $26), and since I needed fish, I also got the Pony Tuna ($17). It's basically a tuna salad sandwich with crunchy onion, tangy dill pickles, creamy secret mayo, juicy tomato and melty Swiss cheese, served on toasted bread with a side of crispy potato chips. I prefer the Pony Tuna. The pizza is just al...

Roti Bar, Melbourne CBD Location: 416-418 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Item: Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang ($20.50 AUD) Saturday Special: Banana Leaf Rice, 14 dishes with free refills ($22.90 AUD), every Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Perfect. Meltingly tender beef rendang, spicy sambal and a runny egg, all soaked up by the coconut rice. I need to come back. It's my first day at work in Melbourne, and I'm so happy to be here. For lunch, we headed to Roti Bar. We have good Malaysian cuisine in Vancouver , but each time I try a Southeast Asian restaurant in Melbourne, I realize how much better the food can be. I ordered the Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang ($20.50), and it's perfect. The beef is so tender, but the real winner is mixing everything together: the fiery sambal, the runny golden egg, and the fragrant rice soaking up all that saucy goodness. ...

LØCO Coffee Specialty, Melbourne Location: 300 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia (a few steps from Flinders Street Station) Featured Items: Egg & Bacon Muffin ($7), Ham & Cheese Croissant ($9), Decaf Mocha with Unsweetened Soy Milk ($6.20), Signature Blend with Milk ($5.50) Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A great early breakfast stop. The egg and bacon muffin is a satisfying lighter option, but the buttery, cheesy ham and cheese croissant is the clear winner. Happy Monday morning, Melbourne! It's our first proper early breakfast in this coffee haven of a city. It's also my first day at work, which means grabbing breakfast at LØCO Coffee Specialty, a relatively new coffee shop just a few steps from Flinders Street Station. I had the Egg & Bacon Muffin ($7) with a decaf mocha made with unsweetened soy milk ($6.20). The muffin is excellent. They offered sauce and I said no, because I'm happy with the lighter version: just a soft...

Guzman y Gomez, Melbourne Location: 260 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Spicy Mini Bowl with Grilled Chicken ($11.40 AUD) plus Extra Avocado ($1.20 AUD), Mild Pulled Pork Quesadilla ($9.40 AUD) Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Closer to Chipotle than Taco Bell. The pulled pork quesadilla is great, and the creamy, spicy bowl is balanced nicely by fresh tomatoes. My goal to try all the spots where the team orders team lunch continues! For an early dinner, we went to Guzman y Gomez on Flinders Street, which is the team's choice whenever the theme is Mexican. This was our first visit. I know I'm spoiled for excellent Mexican food in Vancouver, so my expectations were quite low. I thought GyG would be closer to Taco Bell, but it reminds me more of Chipotle. Hubby got the mild quesadilla with pulled pork ($9.40), and it's great: a crisp, grill-marked tortilla stuffed with melty cheese and tender pulled pork. ...

Halaya, Melbourne CBD Location: 285 Spring St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Beef Short Rib Kare-Kare ($30.60), Rice ($6.00), Ube Champorado ($22.40), Ube Latte, medium with oat milk ($8.10) Note: Prices are in AUD. A 10% weekend surcharge applies on Sundays, plus a small service charge. Verdict: The ube champorado steals the show with its creamy, thick texture and sweet strawberry compote. The kare-kare is good but a little watered down and needs more bagoong. Happy Sunday! It was our first Mass together in Melbourne, at St. Patrick's Cathedral at 8:00 AM. Afterwards, we walked over to Halaya, a Filipino coffee shop with a heavy focus on ube. Of course, I was here for the kare-kare. I know, it's an unusual choice for brunch, but I really needed my kare-kare fix. A Little History: From Ceree to Halaya When I visited Melbourne two years ago, this exact spot was Ceree , and I had kare-kare here too. I thought the kare-kare at Ceree wa...