Lazzat & Il Dolce Freddo & Brunetti, Lygon St

Missing home food can really kick the cravings in, so what better way then to seek out the next best option: asian takeaway. After doing some research online (and from faint memories), I decided to check out Boba Pearl, which serves authentic Singaporean/Hokkien food. Also, not to be missed are their delighful 'boba cha' (bubble teas), which I heard are way better than the bubble tea stalls in the city. After giving myself much reason to travel all the way to the other end from where I live, I trudged on to Lygon St while backing in the breezy Saturday afternoon. When I arrived at the address that I found online, I noticed that Boba Pearl had closed down! And in its place, a Thai restaurant called "The Original Thai Restaurant" was there. For a second there, I honestly thought I must've gotten the wrong address. But after checking & rechecking the shop number, there was no doubt that this Thai restaurant used to be Boba Pearl. While preusing the menu, I kept thinking to myself whether I was in the mood for some Thai food. And I was, but I knew if I were to have good Thai food, i'd get it next door at Ying Thai 2. But looking thru the glass windows of Ying Thai 2, it looked as if everyone had the same idea of eating there today. So being as hard-headed as I am, I decided to walk a little further in hope of finding an eatery serving some other Southeastern fare. And to my content, I spotted Lazzat (meaning "tasty").

A small but homey eatery serving Indonesian, Malaysian & Indian food. The menu was extensive enough with the usual suspects such as chicken rice, mee goreng, singapore noodles & laksa, plus some other interesting dishes like mee bandung, roti milo, pecel leleh (spicy fish), as well as the trusty alternative of picking out what you see you like from the bain-marie. You can be sure this place is authentic enough when you see that the huge table in the corner is filled with youngsters speaking in Malay or Indonesian; and the servers eat with their hands (traditional Malay way of eating). Since the bain-marie looked rather inviting, with many curry dishes to choose from, I made my pick of fish curry, lamb rendang and tofu, for only $6.50. ($5-$6 for takeaway) A bargain? I'd say so, considering the amount of food you're being given. The taste isn't too bad either. Actually, I'd say that this is probably one of the better bain-marie places if you were to compare this to other places that serve bain-marie (i.e. Nelayan in Glenferrie, Sophia's in Prahran, Indo Sari in Glenhuntly, etc) from the Cheap Eats/Foodies Guide.

The tofu (middle) was juicy having been drenched in the soupy sauce that tasted like laksa; the fish curry, which I assume is assam (left) was fragrant, spicy and sour as I'd remembered it to be back home; while the rendang (right) was tender though slightly chewy, and did not have that pungent 'lamb' smell at all. Paired with a nice packet of Teh Botol ($1), I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying meal, plus it's easy on your wallet too. A great place to have some quiet lone time, or when u're on a budget.

And what better way to cleanse the palate by stopping next door at Il Dolce Fredoo for gelato? My favourites: Mango, Pandan, Passionfruit, Tiramisu, Cookies & Cream, Lychee & Matcha (Green Tea) - $4 for 2 flavors. This is also the only place in the whole of Melbourne (the world?) that has durian gelato, not ice cream, gelato, AND jackfruit. So it's no wonder international students crowd around this store during the warmer days.

Yes, that is a quartered durian on top of the gelato at the top right corner and they had jackfruit too ! (bottom right)


My picks: Lychee & Pandan

And what would strolling along Lygon be without checking out Brunetti's? Got myself a slice of heaven of course ;) (Yes, I went for the WHOLE experience, minus the Italian food though)

From Brunetti

OMG, I can't start to gush about how decadent this cake is. At first I didn't think it would measure up to Brunetti's other cakes, since it was one of the less expensive ones, plus the fact that it was a generous portion. Since I'm not a chocolate person, there was only a limited amount of choices for me to choose from. As I browsed through the window display, I made sure I watched out for the more popular requests made by people over the counter. The cannoli as I noticed was one, and so were the chocolate type cakes. As I sauntered from one end to the other, I noticed a lonely cake sitting by itself, gleaming under the fluro light of the window display. It seemed to be calling out to me. Watching as there were others waiting behind me, I hastened to grab the waitress' attention that I wanted the Ricotta Strudel ($3.80). Obviously, in my mind I was still thinking whether I had made the right choice. It was risky, I know, coz sometimes a lone cake can be misleading. After paying for it, I made very sure I didn't destroy it as I made my way home. And after dinner that night, it was finally time to unwrap and unravel the delightful sight of my ricotta strudel.

Ricotta Strudel

As I couldn't resist, I grabbed a fork even before it reached the table, and took a bite out of the strudel. The strudel was better than I had hoped, way better. The pastry, though not crunchy, had a part soft, part chewy texture that matched well with the ricotta. It reminded me of Lattice biscuits, which by coincidence, are my favourite. The thin sugar glaze over the pastry that made it glisten was just right, without being too sweet but just enough to let u take in the pastry on its own. And the ricotta, how do I even start commenting about the cheese. It was like eating custard, only airier and had a stickier consistency. Though I admit it did taste a bit like a vanilla slice, but because of the light cheese and it didn't taste too sweet, it definitely didn't feel like I was having a coffee hub version. Another thing I liked about it was the fact that it didn't make me feel like it would do damage to my hips or thighs (haha), and when I had finished the cake, the only thing in my mind was, how much I'd love to go back and have another...

Lazzat

112 Lygon St,

Carlton VIC 3053
Tel: (03) 9639 5951

Il Dolce Freddo

116 Lygon St,
Carlton VIC

Tel: (03) 9639 3344

Brunetti

194 Faraday St,

Carlton

Tel: (03) 9347 2801

Also at:

Brunetti

214 Flinders Lane,
Melbourne VIC 3000

Tel: (03) 9663 8085