Kokoro Ramen: 157 Lonsdale Street Melbourne

Let's be clear, ramen is definitely not high brow food. But it is certainly yummy and sometimes just what you need.

Kokoro Ramen is a student haven (the exact sort of people you would trust to pick out good ramen). It is cheap and fast and loud. They have a whole bunch of mix and match meal deals and design your own ramen options, along with chef selections. The noodles are homemade and so is the gyoza but... they make it once a week and then freeze it. You can kind of tell. I would still recommend it as the broth is delicious, so rich and warming.

Fussy eaters do need to be careful though. The tofu salad comes with a creamy sauce that contains egg, as do a good number of the onigiri. The vegetarian ramen is advertised as having a vegan broth but I asked what is in it and they mentioned butter (random). The vegan ramen also contains egg noodles - you can go without but you need to specify thin noodles not curly noodles. I have had the vegan broth twice and it tasted completely different each time. The second time I spent the afternoon coughing, clearing my throat and feeling as though I was wading through concrete. I recommend you check and double check your order. When you do they generally call over someone that speaks better English and you shouldn't have any problems (no guarantees). The pork broth is the best.

Things they do well: Agedashi tofu

Tempura

Edamame

Miso soup

Ramen soup

meal deals

Bring cash and enjoy Two ticks

 meal deal sized ramen, gyoza & onigiri 

Dikstein's Corner Bar: 433 Little Collins Street Melbourne

This bar feels like a home away from home. There is something I really like about it. It has that cosy, cluttered feel. The shelves are full of old wine bottles and cigar boxes and other little kitschy things.

The food is hearty and homely - pizza, pasta, goulash, stew and pasties. The pizza seems to be the star, there was one on every table. The dough is freshly made on the premises, not store bought and has the perfect texture. Along with the perfect size, single serve presented on a bread board.

I chose the salami pizza with pickled peppers. Mmm salami and pickled peppers. It was so good. Senor Gringo had the bococcini and pesto pizza. Apparently very flavoursome but a little on the oily side - really what would you expect with pesto and cheese??

I'm going back. Next time it will be after work and I'll have one of their many whiskeys to accompany my pizza. Check the facebook page, they have deals pretty regularly and not just on cocktails.

Two ticks