this place

Why haven't I posted about Hazeldean Forest Farm before?

Amazing, delicious apples of many varieties. Also beautiful other fruit (see persimmon above), and some darn good cider, both of the beery kind (King Pippin) and méthode champenoise (label says BawBaw). Everything organic.

They had a harvest festival last weekend and I was lucky enough to be free to get down to Gippsland.
They sell their stuff at the farmers' markets around Melbourne most weekends.

Tadaima!

So I'm back in the land of cheap butter. And the best thing I have eaten in the last month, apart from fruit, is this.

Kokoro Ramen means 'Heart/soul ramen.' To avoid gushing, I have no comment on that name.

The staff in the kitchen were speaking Japanese. The next two people to me sitting at the bench (or counter, if you're that way inclined) were Japanese, speaking Japanese to each other. And the food tasted like in Japan, with the exception of vegetarian gyoza, which you would never see. They were ok, the gyoza. The other stuff was really, really, really good.

They've got Japanese beers and other drinks, including umeshu - sweet plum wine - and a cider made by Asahi. Open till 5 am Sat night/Sun morning. I can't wait to get back there.

157 Lonsdale St Melbourne VIC
Tel: 03 9650 1215