Mad Ram- Croydon

Deep Fried Bao

> Deep fried bao with banana, salted peanut caramel, vanilla bean ice cream and palm sugar syrup <

I was very intrigued when I saw this dish on the menu. Usually a savoury meal, turning this dish sweet would’ve been a challenge. The concept definitely had good intentions, however, I do not believe it lived up to the savoury version. The bao was a little bit too fried so it was difficult to eat, but the flavours were very strong and sweet, which is a bonus because you would rather a strong flavour and not eat as much, rather than a meal with no flavour. The banana and fresh berries were really sweet and delicious and I definitely polished those off.

Sticky Date Pancakes

> Sticky Date Pancakes with butterscotch sauce, sea salt cacao praline, vanilla bean ice cream and fairy floss <

These pancakes, OMG, WOW, I do not know how to describe them. Two massive pancakes cooked to perfection were super fluffy and with the butterscotch sauce poured over, the fluffiness absorbed the moisture to create the most perfect flavour. The vanilla bean ice cream complemented the flavours in this dish nicely to lighten the flavours and reduce the rich sweet flavours. If this dish is still on the specials menu when you dine, I cannot urge you enough to try it! They are probably one of the best pancakes I have ever tried!!

Big Mac + Cheese

> Big Mac + Cheese with pressed marble scored beef brisket, 2 poached hens eggs, mac and cheese waffle, cornichons and hollandaise <

When I see Mac n Cheese on a menu it is a no brainer for me to get it because who doesn’t love mac n cheese?! This concept was quite innovative and very well thought out. The actual mac n cheese pressed together had a ton of flavour and was nice and crispy on the outside and perfectly gooey on the inside. The beef brisket, OMG, I could not have thought of anything more perfect to complement the mac n cheese cake. The flavours of the brisket were super strong and rich and I really could not get enough of it! The poached eggs on top burst over the brisket created a perfect combination and made the dish a little more substantial. Overall, this dish was absolutely perfect and I could not think of anything I would change about this dish.

Crispy Chicken Burger

> Crispy Chicken Burger with Korean fried chicken, kimchi + apple slaw, hot + sour aioli, fries and pineapple chilli jam <

I am quite a burger fan and I have been trying to find my favourite around Melbourne. I usually go for something a bit more simple but I decided to give this one a go. The flavours are exactly what you would expect. The kimchi and apple slaw gave the burger a lot of moisture so the bun was a little soggy, nonetheless, the flavours were quite strong and a little spicy. The pineapple chilli jam was something different but complemented the more bold flavours that this dish possessed. The crispy chicken was cooked nicely and lived up to its name of being crispy.

The Eggs Benny Kinda Guy

> The Eggs Benny Kinda Guy with master stock braised pork benedict, potato hash, two poached hens eggs, hollandaise and pork crackle <

A different twist on the classic eggs benedict, the potato hash creates a point of difference from every other eggs benedict in Melbourne. The braised pork was super soft and had a really strong and delicious flavour, making you want to add more with each bite. The hollandaise sauce was not too tangy and complemented the pork so nicely. The pork crackle was also really soft and all I could say was wow! I definitely recommend giving this dish a try!