Zante (II)

As soon as you arrive at Zante you are given a jug of water and glasses with the menu.  Which gets a big tick from me & ET.  And in between courses, they automatically take away your cutlery and plates and give you a new set.  Yet another big tick from us.  Luckily the food also gets a tick of approval.  We started with the Char-grilled Calamari.  It was soft and not at all chewy and I could definitely taste that it was grilled (but not in a bad way).  ET said it was "interesting".

On the surface, the Scotch Fillet seems like a bit of an odd choice for a Greek restaurant, but ET really scored with this dish.  He ordered rare and he got a pink piece of steak with no gristle to wrestle with.  Upon clearing away the plates, the waiter took great pleasure in asking how ET enjoyed the steak and appeared very proud of how they professionally prepare such dishes.

Because ET enjoyed the Chicken souvlaki last time we visited, I decided it was my turn to try it.  It was good; I even enjoyed the tzatziki even thought I don't usually eat it with chicken.  And apparently all meat dishes are served on a bed of marinated potato mash.  Just not sure what it's marinated with to turn it orange-y in color (although you can't tell from the pictures - sorry), but it tasted good all the same.

Surprisingly I was up for dessert, and with the help of the wait-staff, talked ET into sharing the Loukoumades with me.  (She was right - the dish was too bit for one).  And as it turned out, ET liked it just as much as me!  These little Greek dumplings were so crispy on the outside that they crackled when you cut into them but were soft and light on the inside.

We ate rather early but were surprised to still find the place half empty when we left.  Although the staff is quite attentive, and the food good, the prices aren't light on the pocket, so perhaps that's what is keeping the crowds away?  After all, I wouldn't think there would be much competition for Greek food in this area.

Zante

1039 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill

Zante

Zante is housed in what apparently was a former garden nursery.  There was a nice outdoor area but it was a bit cold for us the night we visited.  Plus they gave us a table by the window so we were quite happy to have the small view instead.

Although I requested the whitebait, ET ended up enjoying this much more than I did.  I thought it could have been just a tiny bit crispier.

My dory fillet special looked quite aneamic.  It was ok but quite frankly, the chips needed help.

ET was expecting much from his not-so-cheap chicken skewers.  And he wasn't disappointed.  He really liked this dish.

We quite enjoyed our night out but since then, I've seen a notice board outside the restaurant.  I'm not sure if the owners are selling or what the plans are.  But perhaps we should go again soon so I can try the ET-praised chicken skewers before they disappear.  ;)

Zante

1039 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill

An An Vietnamese Restaurant

An An's was half empty so service was quick and staff were attentive.  Firstly they served the Tom Yum soup.  And although it looked hot enough to ET, unfortunately it wasn't.

The chicken and taro An An Spring rolls didn't have enough filling for me to taste properly.  Or perhaps I was still disappointed that the chef’s recommended Shredded Pork Paper Rolls were unavailable.

The traditional Vietnamese deep fried fish cake was one large piece cut into slices, not the patties I was expecting.  ET liked how the pepper on the batter contrasted with the subtle flavour of the fish.

My Grilled Lemongrass Chicken on rice didn't have too much lemongrass flavour which was ok by me.

There was enough rice from my dish to share with ET who ordered Sizzling Mongolian Beef.  The dish was brought to our table with the waitress covering her hands with her jumper (health and safety issues, anyone?).  Plus, all that sizzling left oil splatters all over the table.  Luckily there were serviettes on the table and not the cheap thin tissues found at most Vietnamese Restaurants.

An An Vietnamese Restaurant
598 Station St, Box Hill

Red Cup Cafe

A corner cafe a few minutes away from Box Hill’s busy strip, Red Cup always seem to do a busy trade.  Although their coffee was only so-so and their water was self-serve (something I’m not fond of), they at least had a couple of twists in their menu.

Case in point was my ‘Big pork rissole in Turkish bread with grilled apple’.  Not normally something I would serve all together, and although the rissole had a strong pork taste, I was glad I tried it anyhow.
ET thought the pasta with chicken, mushroom and snow-peas was a “weird setup” because there was more chicken than pasta.  He had to take a knife and cut the big strips of chicken so it would fit into his mouth!

Red Cup Cafe
1124 Whitehorse Rd, Box HiIl

Indochine Vietnamese Restaurant

Indochine was busy with diners and takeaway orders  but the manager stayed charming throughout the entire night.

For starters ET ordered Hot & Sour Tom Yum Soup.  ET thought everything was spot on except that it wasn’t hot enough for him.
I ordered the Mince Prawn wrapped around a sugarcane.  I chose it a for the novelty factor but I actually ended up liking the grilled flavour of it.  And luckily the menu said not to eat the sugar cane because I’m sure I would’ve gnawed into it!

The rice paper rolls weren’t a hit with ET.  He thought the wrapper was too thick and overall it lacked flavour.

For mains I talked ET into ordering the Sizzle Fried Whole Snapper with Tamarind Sauce (no dry red chilli on my account).  ET liked it and didn’t even bother putting any of the accompanying sauce on it.
He also liked his order of Bo la lot (minced beef wrapped in Betel leaves).  I thought the leaves were a bit chewy and the meat a bit dry.  This dish had the rice paper and lettuce layered on the side, ready for wrapping but ET and I ate most of it with rice. 

Admittedly most of the dishes we ordered had noodles, lettuce and carrots so we were pretty much over eating the same accompaniments.  But at least I finally sated my craving for a Vietnamese restaurant in the area.

Indochine Vietnamese Restaurant
51 Carrington Rd, Box Hill