I absolutely love it when one stumbles across a business where the old adage of 'you pay for what…read moreyou get' just does not ring true. To's Cafe and Hot Bread is a good example of this. Sure it is a Vietnamese Bakery that looks like it has seen better days, in a neighbourhood of similar proportions. But that doesn't actually mean the food is bad quality. In fact, like so many Vietnamese bakeries, the French stick you buy from To's will be as good as any French patisserie you may regularly spend your hard earned cash at. And all it will cost you is some loose change. I also love their pork bun rolls. With a variety of flavours - including a breakfast one with egg and onions inside (I personally would steer clear of this one as I am not an egg fan).

The Banh Mi is super. A freshly baked crunchy bread roll topped with your pick of roast pork or…read morechicken and a variety of Vietnamese salad ingredients. All yours for $3.50. There is a variety other treats at this bakery too. Brightly coloured Asian cakes, rice paper spring rolls, prepacked noodle dishes to eat on the go, not to mention a large bain marie of freshly cooked treasures. If your looking for a lamington for your Nana Debbie, you might try your local Bakers Delight. Other than that, this place bakes fresh the usual bakery suspects too. To's is clearly a hit with the locals and the service is refreshing friendly.

I fall into the same trap every time I visit the QV via the Big W escalators out on the corner of…read moreSwanston and Lonsdale - I end up coming up the escalators from inside the QV and am faced with the shining beacon of sugary doughy glazed treats that is Breadtop at the top of those escalators. It's then near impossible to change trajectory as I step straight off the escalator and into Breadtop and am propelled by forces beyond my control, tongs in hand, ready to fill my Breadtop plastic tray with all manner of naughty things. I usually end up with at least one each of the tuna roll, the spring onion and mayo/cream cheese roll, a donut twist and an almond croissant. These are my tried and tested winners. For now.

I strolled past Bread Top today and was sucked in by the light reflecting off a glazed treat (Well…read morethat's my story and i'm sticking to it). Breadtop is an Asian bakery that is here to impress, popular amongst some... it is some interesting cuisine at first glance... You have savoury items such as the Sacha Pork Floss Bun and Chicken Puff but whats more appealing is the sweet stuff, Milky custard buns and my favourite the 'blueberry yogurt bun'. Yum! They have a large assortment of sweets that won't set you back too much, the cakes presentation wise are glamorous and available for purchase. They focus mainly on fruit as a decorative resource which adds a lot of colour to their cakes but after laying eyes on the ice-cream cake (ice-cream scoops toppled one atop of another in the form of a giant cake), i know where im getting my next birthday cake!

You've gotta love a good Vietnamese bakery. Fresh baguettes and cut price pastries, all with that…read morelittle bit more sugar than necessary. Barkly Hot Bread is by no means the best of its kind, but it is a great addition to Sydney Rd's cheap and cheerful eateries.

3.5 stars At the bustling Queen Victoria Market is a Sri…read moreLankan cafe with a buffet table of prepared curries--there's quite a wide selection, but everything is a great value with nice portion sizes. I tried the lamprais on my visit, a platter that came with yellow rice, seeni sambol (an onion relish), eggplant moju (a cold eggplant salad), tempered potato, an egg, a mini pastry, and a choice of a meat dish--I had the chili chicken, a sweet and spicy stir-fried combination of dark meat chicken cubes, peppers, and onions. All of this comes on top of two grilled banana leaves for that extra touch! Overall, a great lunch option when shopping at the market, though the restaurant could be a bit cleaner.

Tasty Sri Lankan food at the Queen Vic market…read more I tried curry roti from their stand at the Hawker night market and also made it a point to stop for lunch because it's so tasty. For lunch they offer some really good value specials - a small thali/combo was just $9 and netted me rice, a papadum, 2 veg curries and a neat curry. It was plenty to fill me right up but if you're really hungry there is a large version for $12. For my veg curries I chose daal and mixed veg - they were both kind of bland and really needed some seasoning. My lamb vindaloo was outstanding on the other hand! A very flavorful sauce, plenty of tender goat and just a hint of heat. If you enjoy a good curry, I'd give them a try.

Probably more of a 3.5 but worth rounding up rather than down…read more Love the pork floss buns, the "wife cake", the cocktail cake, the jam basket, the BBQ Pork Puff and the red bean puff. The Egg tarts are just OK for me. If you have ever had the Golden Gate Bakery egg tarts in San Francisco, these will seem pretty average in comparison. The staff are friendly though a couple of them are a little clueless about packing cakes for transport.

Yep, their Swiss rolls are the bomb. These cakes have that unique asian sweetness to it that you…read morejust can't get enough. You can either grab a tray and pick your sweets and savories a la bread top and pay at the counter. As I said above there Swiss rolls are good, my picks are taro or pandan. Whole rolls are $11. Fyi - cash only!

A South Melbourne favourite that brings authentic Asian flavours to the table…read more As the name suggests the Cafe is quite small but BIG on humble charm and demand. If dining-in on a week day, I would recommend scheduling an early lunch during peak hours otherwise they welcome phone orders. Red Petite has a legion of loyal customers all coming back for second helpings of their signature dishes such as the Thai Green Chicken Curry, Massaman Beef Curry and Pad Thai. The service is speedy, the staff are sweet and the quality of food is unconditionally reliable from their Satay Skewers (paired with the best peanut sauce and roti bread) to their sinful Lego block size Brownie Cheesecake. Shut up and take my money!

A great little go-to Thai joint is a necessity for every neighbourhood. I hadn't settled on one for…read moreSouth Melbourne, until last week. Offering both tapas-style bites and bigger thai fares like curries and stir fries, this unassuming little hole in the wall cafe packs some pleasant surprises. For one, they rock a mean Masseman Curry. Their wine and beer list is well priced and probably better than any other asian cafe I've visited. They make their own desserts and offer a tasting platter of all. We stuffed ourselves silly on the curry and stir fries, but will give their various coconut treats a try next time. This spot is no secret to locals, I've walked past on many a night to see a packed footpath of diners on an otherwise dead-quiet Bank St. Thankfully they offer take away if you can't nab a table or if you would simply prefer the comfort of a couch and stretchy pants when devouring carbs like they're going out of fashion.

Great Hong Kong dessert place after a pho dinner at Super Bowl or I love pho…read more Huge range of Hong Kong pudding, tofu, and other storage things. The only thing I could not find were the bird nest desserts I have had at these types of Hong Kong dessert places in Hong Kong and the US.

I have an Asian dessert fetish - peanut snow ice and black sesame topping rocks #63read more

This place is famous for having the best laksa in Melbourne, and it did not disappoint! I had the…read morevegan laksa and it was full of flavor, not too coconutty, with two types of noodle, and veggies and tofu. Delicious. Honestly, it was better than the laksa I had in Singapore. My partner had the seafood laksa and loved it. We also had veggie spring rolls and they were good, with a really tasty dipping sauce. The place was PACKED for lunch, but there was some seating free at the back. Service was incredibly friendly and helpful even though it was so busy. Portion sizes are massive and it's so cheap for the volume of food (the vegan laksa is $10.80 and the bowl is massive). Delicious. You can see why this place is so highly-recommended.

Extremely disappointing, after reading such good reviews my partner and I went to try this…read morerestaurant seeing it was open until 10.30pm on a Monday night but got here at 9.37pm and it's closed no neon signs in sight anywhere, the whole street is pitch black.