Hero Subs – Not Your Ordinary Sandwich

Posted on November 19, 2014 by GrazingPanda

Hero Subs

Hero Fitout

Hero Menu

How the Sub arrives

Close up of the Krsi Kross Fries

Funky Packaging

#Cypress Chill – Corn Fritters, Green Goodess Spread, Baby Spinach – Diced Tomato and Herb Fetta

Tissue Sayings

Hero Subs is brought to us by Michael and Eleena Tan who are responsible for The Grain Store. Hero Subs was inspired by Michael’s travels around New York City together with his fond childhood memories of being looked after by a traditional Nonna – eating food such as parmagianas – and putting what he finds special into food.

Hero Subs specialises in oversized gourmet Brooklyn inspired subs – with a distinct Melbourne twist – that come in an array of fillings and flavours. The subs come in both half and full sizes and you can choose from a Brioche bun or a Baguette style (Seeded, White or Gluten Free). If bread subs aren’t your thing – you can have a wrap style (Chia Seed, White or Gluten Free).
There are 11 different flavours to choose from – including #Sonny In Law (Sticky Fried Chicken, Kim Chi Slaw, Sriracha Mayo), #Kanye’s Revenge (150gm Beer-Battered Fish Fillet, Apple Slaw, Lemon Dill Aioli) and #KidRoyale (Hickory Slow Cooked Beef, Onion Jam, Baby Spinach, Honey Dijon Mustard and Crispy Onion Rings) just to name a few.
Naked Salads, Potato Kris Cross Chips, Sweet Potato Kris Cross Chips, Onion Rings, Corn Fritters and Sweet Treats (Hot Ball Donuts – in Berry Jam and Salted Caramel) are also available.
Hero Subs has funky quotations on its wrapping – sayings like “Stack Mad Chips Spread Love With My Peeps”, “Spread Love, It’s The Brooklyn Way” – and tissues – like “Oh You Missed A Spot.”

I ordered the #Cypress Chill – Corn Fritters, Green Goodess Spread, Baby Spinach – Diced Tomato and Herb Fetta Sub in the Wrap Style (Chia Seed) with a side of Potato Kris Cross Chips. The Kris Cross Chips were crunchy on the outside, flavoured well and soft like clouds on the inside. There is just something about eating chips in the shape of a kris cross that makes it more appealingly delicious. I really enjoyed the #7Grand Wrap – the corn fritters was perfectly cooked with the right level of crunch and consistency. I loved the combination of the spinach, fetta and the Green Goodess Spread – it was tanginess exemplified but not over the top. A really great tasting sub!

One thing I would love to see on the menu would be some seafood subs – prawns or soft shell crab would taste delicious! Hopefully they start making them soon!

Hero Subs are not just about the subs – they want to become a Lifestyle Brand – to run and organise music festivals, create a swanky clothing line, support fresh Street Art as well as to engage charities and organizations. They also have something called the Hero Social Programme – where every franchisees that joins the Hero family will commit to 10 hours of community service. What a brilliant idea – if only more companies were this encouraging.

Not only do they have a great vision and mission, but they have great tasting subs that are out of this world – but with a Melbournian twist. Check them out – there are 3 different Melbourne CBD locations. They also do catering for Private Gigs and Functions – you can check out their packages here – http://herosubs.com.au/catering

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to http://herosubs.com.au/menu/
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Funky and has a street-vibe to it!
Service: Friendly
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details, Location and Opening Hours:
http://herosubs.com.au/

357 Collins St, Melbourne
(Opposite Huxtaburger, Food Court
Tel No: 9629 6067
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

28 Hardware Lane, Melbourne
Tel No: 9642 8891
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am – 3:00pm
Sunday: Closed

1 Steward St, Melbourne
(Back of RMIT SAB Building 80)
Tel No: 9995 4655
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herosubsau?ref=ts&fref=ts
Instagram: herosubsau
Twitter:@HeroSubsAU

Filter by Small Batch – Coffee Perfection

Posted on May 23, 2014 by GrazingPanda

Filter

Counter to the right

Counter to the left

Close Up of Coffee Making

Coffee Making and Mineral Water

At the Counter where you sit

Smorrebods Selection

Selection of Smorrebod

View from Sitting at the Counter

From the Counter View

More Coffee Making

Latte and Smorrebod

Latte from Filter by Small Batch Coffee

Vegan Smorrebod – Dofta – Pine Mushroom Spread, Kale & Choke Chips, Carrot & Pasta Salad

Menu:

Where can you get great tasting coffee, as well as getting to try out an interestingly named “sandwich” called smørrebrød? The answer is the newly opened Filter by Small Batch Coffee – opened by Andrew Kelly (founder of Small Batch Coffee and its flagship Auction Rooms) – in the Melbourne CBD at the corner of Collins and King Street.

Filter came about after Broadsheet announced a competition called The Keys – giving a change to one of Melbourne’s reknowned and established coffee owners the change to pursue a new venture with the help of them and Bank of Melbourne. To perfect the process of getting Filter perfect – Kelly had the mentorship from some friends including Kate Bartholomew (Coda, Tonka), Nathan Toleman (Top Paddock, Two Birds One Stone), Chris Lucas (Chin Chin, Kong, Baby) and Bank of Melbourne’s Vanessa Hastie. The journey that was experienced in opening this venue can be found at Broadsheet at http://bankofmelbourne.com.au/thekeys

Filter is a spacious, light filled, warehouse like space at the bottom of the Denmark House building. The fit out is minimalist and simple – complete with light wooden tones and colourful yellow sunflowers dotted throughout the venue. There are two main counter areas – the one on the right displays the smørrebrød, desserts on offer as well housing the coffee machine and sparkling water – the one on the left is where people can sit down at, as well as having another area where you can view the filter coffee making process. Thru the centre of the area where you can sit are displays of all things related to coffee – such as a weighing scale, coffee cup and other coffee paraphernalia. I really do like the layout of Filter.

Filter is all about the coffee – and as the name suggests – the main focus is on filter coffee – which is coffee that is strained through paper. It does however serve espresso as well. Filter coffee is generally less intense than espresso and has a much “cleaner experience.” Filter also serves smørrebrød which Kelly believes is the perfect accompaniment to the perfect coffee. A smørrebrød is an open sandwich served on a thin slice of eye and commonly eaten by people from Denmark and Sweden. Smørrebrød consists of a piece of dark rye (a dense, dark brown bread. Pålæg) topped with anything really – from pickled fish and remoulade to cold cuts, pieces of meat, cheese or spreads. The smørrebrød here at Filter have been designed by Auction Rooms head chef Boris Portnoy.

I order a latte and from the very first sips I could tell that this would be my new favourite coffee joint. The flavour is brilliant – soft caramel tones with a note of creaminess and nuttiness through it. I usually have some sugar in my coffees, but with this coffee I didn’t need any at all. I really could have had multiple cups of coffee. There are coffees that are ready to go, as well as coffees that are made to order and range from coming from counties such as Colombia, Ethiopia, and Burundi.

Filter has 10 in house made smørrebrød to choose from – refer to the menu above for the different types. I ordered the Vegan smørrebrød – which consisted of Pine Mushroom Spread, Kale & Choke Chips, Carrot & Pasta Salad and has the Swedish name Dofta. This was my first time eating a smørrebrød and it was delicious! The rye was fresh and the saltiness of the mushroom spread worked well with the creaminess of the pasta and the crunch of the kale and choke chips. Smørrebrød’s are filling without giving you that heavy feeling of being full. I definitely want to head back and try some of the other toppings.

There are also tea’ from Storm in a Teacup (Collingwood) as well as cold drinks in the form of house made refreshing soda pops of which there are two flavours to choose from – Old fashioned lemonade called Citron and Fresh peppermint and vanilla called Mynte. These are next on my list to try out.

For coffee lovers, people who are still not quite sure about coffee or for anyone really – do yourself a favour and check out Filter. You really won’t regret it! If you want more information about Filter and The Keys story you can refer to the following link bankofmelbourne.com.au/broadsheetthekey

During Filter’s first month of trade, Bank of Melbourne customers who show their bank card between 7 and 11am will receive a free filter coffee.

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to menu above – Breakfast, Lunch, Coffee, Tea and Cold Drinks menu
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual and Relaxed, Warehouse feel
Service: Friendly and they sure do know all about coffee
Restaurant Details and Location:
filterbysmallbatch.com.au
555 Collins Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 9620 1211

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 7am–4pm
Saturday: 8am–2pm

Rue & Co. – Great Addition to Melbourne

Posted on May 8, 2014 by GrazingPanda

Seating at Rue and Co

More Seating at Rue and Co

View from the Seats

The 3 Shipping Containers

The Artwork

Kong BBQ

KONG PANDA

Kong Packaging

Peanut Butter Crusted Tofu, Pickled Cucumber and Spring Onion Kon Bo Ssam

Roast Gochujang and Chipotle Hot Wings

St Ali

St Ali Drinks

St Ali Hot Sauces

Profiteroles from St Ali

Menu:

It was after the footy game (Go the Hawks!!) and N and I were feeling a tad bit peckish – so we decided to check out the newly opened Rue & Co. Located off the main hustle and bustle of Collins Street, near Exhibition street is Melbourne’s version of street style food. It is an outdoor pop-up venue – around for 6 months – and has the following venues – Church of Secular Coffee (St Ali), Jimmy Grants and Kong BBQ – a joint venture between Salvatore Malatesta, George Calombaris and Chris Lucas.

Salvatore Malatesta’s

George Calombaris,

A joint effort between George Calombaris’s Jimmy Grants, Salvatore Malatesta’s St Ali and Chris Lucas’s soon-to-be-opened Kong, – See more at: http://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/a-list/rue-co-verdict#sthash.nS8gESUo.dpuf

The “fit-out” is very Melbourne – there is astro turf laid on the grounds, and the venues are located in a row under neath the massive wall artwork. On the opposite side to where the food is – is a stylish yet simple seating area decked out with minimal black stools, seats and tables. There is a combination of low seated stools as well as higher bar chairs. There are two areas – one area being covered complete with heating to keep customers warm (especially in the unpredictable Melbourne weather) – as well an open air area under trees with fairy lights.

We decided to try out Kong BBQ (opened by Chris Lucas – who brought us Chin Chin) as I had heard a lot about this place and wanted to see what we could expect once it opens its more permanent doors in Richmond.

I love the use of the Japanese characters to spell out BBQ in the name as well as the addition of the PANDA and the tag line HAPPY LIFE. As you all probably know I LOVE PANDAS! (haha hence the blog – Grazing Panda) – so I cannot wait to visit their permanent venue and see the use of the pandas. =)

The menu here at Rue & Co. is split up into 6 sections – Soup, Wings (6 pieces), Steam Buns (2 pieces), Kong Bo Ssam, Ssam Roti Roll and Salads. There are vegetarian and pescatarian options available under most of these headings.

I ordered the Peanut Butter Crusted Tofu, Pickled Cucumber and Spring Onion Kon Bo Ssam which comes served with Kimchi, Ssam Jang and Butter Lettuce. N ordered the Roast Gochujang and Chipotle Hot Wings.

The food comes out served in cardboard boxes with KONG BBQ stamped on the front of it. I loved my dish – I didn’t really get the Peanut Butter flavour on the tofu – but I like the crust and crispness that was present on the tofu. The kimchi was spicy and fresh – just how you want it to be. The whole combination of wrapping each element in the butter lettuce was tasty and the textures worked well together. I really liked the Ssam Jang – spicy and smooth!

N enjoyed his chicken wings – there were 4 pieces in his little boxed package – with the flavour combination working well together. Each of the dishes also come with a “Cools and Dries” towelette so you can feel free to get your fingers dirty.

I also decided to try out some dessert from St Ali – so got myself the remaining flavours of profiteroles for the day – Choc Hazelnut and a Vanilla Raspberry. Both of them were scrumptious! The Choc Hazelnut had a whole hazelnut in the middle combined with gooey rich chocolate. The Vanilla Raspoberry was my favourite out of the two however, with the creamy vanilla and sweet (but not too sweet) raspberry jam. The pastry itself was textured and crunchy to combine the smooth goodness inside. Pity they were so small!

The St Ali menu consists of a Breakfast menu which is served until 11:30m from 7am daily. Breakfast includes a Toast Bar from which you can choose from a number (five to be precise) of toppings, as well Crispy Potato Hash with the addition of either salmon, pork or mushroom and feta. There are also two bigger dishes – The Daddy – Breakfast bun with sausages and bacon and Mexican Cousin – Corn Fritters.

After 11:30am there is a Burger menu which is served until Late. There are four burgers to choose from – A Shrimp Burger (Seoul Searching), A Wagyu Burger (Royale with Cheese), Pork Burger (Pork Me) and a Vegetarian Burger (Cheech and Chong) all for $12.

And of course – the usual St Ali coffee is available, as well as the St Ali bottled Ice Coffee.

Jimmy Grants pop-up presents the “best of the menu” that could be found at its main venue in Fitzory – such as the delicious Souvas, slow roasted lamb shoulder, salads, snacks and dips. There is a vegetarian option – Homer – Falafels, Greek Yoghurt and Slaw.

Next is Jimmy Grants, the all-conquering Fitzroy-based souvlaki joint. The Rue & Co pop-up version presents a ‘best of’ menu, including slow roasted lamb shoulder, salads, snacks & dips, and of course JIMMY GRANTS’ AMAZING SOUVAS! Before you ask, YES CAPITALS ARE REQUIRED – THEY’RE THAT GOOD! Our pick of the two is the Mr Papadopoulos souva with its mix of lamb, mustard aioli, chips and onion, however the Homer (falafels, Greek yogurt and slaw) is also flippin’ delicious. Your Jimmy Grants experience at Rue & Co also won’t be complete without a steamed Jimmy Dimmy or two, along with some Hellenic Slaw, dips and pita bread. – See more at: http://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/a-list/rue-co-verdict#sthash.nS8gESUo.dpuf

Rue & Co. gives an almost picnic like vibe and is a great addition to the streets of Melbourne and is great if you want to grab a quick sneaky bite before heading off to a movie, footy game or even as a pre-dinner snack!

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Picnic-like, Funky and Chilled out. Great for a morning coffee or after work drinks even! Versatile!
Restaurant Details and Location:
https://www.facebook.com/RueandCo
80 Collins St, Melbourne

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 7am to Late

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Filter by Small Batch – Coffee Perfection

Rue & Co. – Great Addition to Melbourne