The Abyssinian

 July 25, 2025

   

We've been talking about going to The Abyssinian since we read about it in an early-2000s Melbourne Cheap Eats Guide. Something about the awkward location on Flemington Road meant that we wound up sampling a whole bunch of other Ethiopian places around town before we finally headed over there for an early dinner on a rainy Friday almost two decades later. It's got a nice, cosy atmosphere and the staff were friendly and efficient.

Our Ethiopian restaurant approach is pretty well established these days - get the vego platter for two (here that costs $48) and enjoy a sampler of all the delicious stews on offer dabbed on a giant injera plate. 

 

   

I always love the lentil dishes (ades on the right and tumtummo on the left, above), but I think the berbere pumpkin in the little bowl at the back (dubba) was my favourite on this night. It's such a fun way to eat, digging in with your hands and scooping up rich, warming veggies in the slightly tangy, springy bread. I don't think the food here is markedly better or worse than other options - Ge'ez is a bit more convenient for us probably - but I'm really glad we finally got to The Abyssinian.

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The Abyssinian has been reviewed positively by Whatever Floats Your Bloat, Tomatom, mamma knows west, Sweet and Sour Fork, Decisive Cravings and Oh... and the kitchen sink.

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The Abyssinan

277 Racecourse Road, Kensington

9376 8754

dinner menu, a la carte, dessert, drinks

https://www.theabyssinian.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a flat but narrow entry and a fairly crowded interior. We ordered at the table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Times New Roman

July 17, 2025

   

Michael had been keeping a close eye on the opening of Times New Roman, a Brunswick sibling to Fitzroy's cheap and cheerful pasta restaurant Good Times. It was instantly very popular, booked out and not conducive to the spontaneous walk-in we most wanted for cheap and cheerful pasta. Luckily, we're also willing to eat early in our advancing ages, so we later successfully nabbed a right-on-opening weeknight spot at the end of the central communal table.

   

I really liked the warm, nostalgic fit-out, which reminded me of the Waiters' Restaurant. The menu's available on paper, but orders at more easily lodged and paid for by QR code. There's a list of a dozen tinned fishes and other little savouries like cheese, Cheezels, olives, pickles, and cucumber stuffed with cashew whip. We split a mini burrata ($6), which was fresh, just a little oozy, and well seasoned with olive oil and pepper.

   

We skipped past the salads and focused on pasta, about half of which were vegetarian. Three vegan options and a $3 gluten-free penne surcharge were clearly noted. The mushroom garlic white wine ragu ($18) was more spaghetti than sauce; well flavoured and not excessively rich.

   

Meanwhile, the rigatoni were thickly coated in basil pesto ($17) and studded with just a few walnuts. It was a hearty winter bowl, not brightly summery as basil often feels. In both cases, we found the pasta chewy - perhaps authentically al dente, but tougher than we personally prefer.

   

It wasn't the right night for dessert (a choice of choc chip cookie tiramisu or peach cheesecake). We liked the cosy, casual style of Times New Roman but it remains to be seen whether it'll slip easily into our local eating habits.

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Times New Roman

66 Lygon St, Brunswick East

0403 848 961

menu

instagram page

Accessibility: There's one step up and a low desk that narrows the entry. Furniture is densely packed and low height, a mixture of tight booths and backed chairs. We ordered and paid via app at our table.

Microwaved porridge

July-August, 2025

   

Getting a microwave in the past year has been handy for leftovers, heat packs, and the odd meal. It's also inspired me to circle back to porridge as a winter breakfast, after at least a decade's lapse. It's fast, it's filling, and it doesn't create a messy saucepan to clean up!

I also find it's a handy way to use up pantry odds and ends as toppings. This bowl included brown sugar syrup, chia seeds, chopped dried figs and walnuts. More recently I've switched to dried apricots and flaked almonds.

Microwaved porridge

(a recipe gleaned from some general online searching)

Use a mug to measure out your desired quantity of quick oats, and place them in a microwave-safe serving bowl. Fill the mug with a equal volume of liquid and stir it briefly into the oats (I use an even mix of milk and water). Microwave the mixture on a standard setting for 1:30 minutes. Stir the mixture, then return it to the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the porridge again.

Add your toppings. I drizzle over a sweet syrup, sprinkle on some seeds, often add some extra cold milk, and finish with dried fruit and nuts.

Some slice with some crunches

July 13, 2025 

   

On a mini weekend away in Castlemaine during July, I had the perfect piece of slice at Stak's Cafe. It was a bit biscuity but more chewy caramel, with big chocolate buttons melted into the top and lots of roasted peanuts. It made me want to bake something similarly chaotic and sweet and salty, so I pulled out a recipe for 'quadruple crunch bars' from Hungry & Frozen. It smashes together potato chips (ever heard of 'em?), rice bubbles, butterscotch lollies and chocolate into a biscuit slice base.

I have to admit up front that I let down this recipe before it let down me. I melted the butter instead of creaming it with the sugar because I'm lazy about using electric beaters, this is a slice, and I wasn't convinced that it was needed. Then I used a medium-large bowl that was way too small for all the dough and the gentle folding needed here. From there I think the recipe needs to take some responsibility: there was way too much mixture for a 25cm square baking tray, perhaps even too much for the 25 cm x 30 cm tray I tried after that. There was so much chocolate (complimentary) that it wasn't to be drizzled about playfully, but instead thickly spread across the entire slice.

Honestly, this was not quite the crunch-a-thon I was hoping for (although the height of the slice certainly did have it crashing into the roof of my mouth). I was surprised how much the potato chips, rice bubbles and butterscotch melded into the biscuit dough. The slice did get a bit crunchier after storage in the fridge. I think these were originally intended to be cookies and I'm tempted to backtrack to that version... rolling the biscuit dough into loose balls and shoving chunks of the crunchy ingredients (choc chips included) into it. This was a sweet, fun slice and yet I hold out hope that there is an even more brilliant recipe lurking within it. 

Some slice with some crunches

(slightly adapted from this recipe on Hungry & Frozen)

250g butter

300g brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

300g plain flour

2 tablespoons milk

150g plain salted, ruffled potato chips

60g rice bubbles

140g bag Werther's Originals butterscotch lollies

200g chocolate

Preheat an oven to 190°C. Line a walled baking tray with paper (at least 25 cm x 30 cm).

Melt the butter and place it in a very large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, then the vanilla, then the bicarb soda and baking powder. Sift and stir in the flour and then the milk, mixing until well combined. 

Crush the potato chips and add 3/4 of them to the bowl, along with the rice bubbles. No need to stir them just yet!

Unwrap and roughly chop the Werther's butterscotch lollies and add them to the bowl. Now it's time to carefully fold the crunchy things through the dough, mixing until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to the baking tray and use the back of a spoon to spread it out as evenly as you can. Cut slices into the dough where you plan to portion it later. Bake the slice for 25-30 minutes, until golden on top. Allow the slice to cool.

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method and spread it over the slice - the original recipe suggested decorative drizzling but I had plenty for a full layer across the slice. Sprinkle over the remaining chips so that they're caught in the chocolate as it sets. Cut and serve the slice after the chocolate has set.

Cheesy scone wedges

June 29, 2025

   

I was not planning to blog this recipe. It was a spontaneous after-work thing, just a little something to eat with the potato and leek soup that Michael was planning and one quick, poorly composed photo for the groupchat. But these cheesy scone wedges, with a bit of leftover chopped chives thrown in, were so incredibly good that I don't want to forget them.

This might be the first time that I've stumbled upon achieving the flaky texture of an American scone. Even better, I achieved it with a food processor and minimal mess. I think the key is not overworking the dough, which keeps some little pockets of butter distinct from the flour. I have very little experience with RecipeTin's famous recipes since they're not vegetarian but these scones are clear evidence that they know what they're doing. 

Cheesy scone wedges

(slightly adapted from a recipe on RecipeTin Eats)

1 3/4 cups plain flour, plus a little extra for working the dough

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

100g butter, cold and diced

2 cups grated cheddar (I used Damona pecorino and it was brilliant)

1/4 cup chives, finely chopped (optional)

3/4 cup milk

Preheat an oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with paper.

Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a food processor. Pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse just a few times until it's down to pea-sized pieces (don't overdo it - I think is where the flakiness comes from). Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and the chives (if using) and pulse just once to partially mix. Gradually add the milk through the top tube and pulse intermittently, until the mixture just comes together.

Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean work surface and turn the dough onto it. Bring the dough together into a very thick disc (maybe 5 cm?). Slice the disc into 6 wedges and place them on the baking tray with a 2 cm gap between pieces. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the scone wedges and lightly press it in. Bake the scones for around 20 minutes, until they're cooked through and the cheese on top is golden.