This week is a bit of a mix between sweet and savoury.

Pana Chocolate
491 Church Street
Richmond Vic 3121

Pana is all the rage at the moment and for good reason! They produce handmade, deliciously rich, raw and organic chocolate blocks. If you’re not a fan of dark chocolate then it may not be for you, but if you are, get into it. My favourite flavours are mints, nut and coconut & goji berry.
With the success of their chocolate blocks, Pana have also opened a shop front in Richmond, where they stock their iconic chocolate, plus a range of delicious raw cakes and sweets. Raw food is huge right now and in my experience it can be a bit hit and miss, but Pana do a great job of it. It can’t really be compared to your standard sweet treats because it’s completely different, but amazing all in its own right.

I must warn you, their sweets are very rich as a result of the raw cacao. I loved the Vespa Wheel, which is their take on a wagon wheel. It’s only bite size, but more than enough to satisfy your sweet cravings. I’m also a big fan of their bounty slice and snickers slice, they’re so different from the original thing, but just amazing.

8/10

Dude Food Man
191 Buckley Street
Essendon Vic 3040

I love me a great burger on the weekend, and I found a winner in Dude Food Man. I’ve never actually eaten from their food van, but I had heard amazing things, so I was pretty excited when they opened a permanent shop front in Essendon.

We went on a Friday night and it was pretty busy in there, not as insane as 8Bit was, but just as deserving of a similar crowd. They are another American style burger joint, serving up rich burgers on sugary buns and delicious milkshakes

We had a double double, a cheeseburger, a big serve of chips and a Nutella shake to wash it all down. It was all rich, delicious, and I had a serious food hangover afterwards. I had the double double (this girl doesn’t go half way when it comes to burgers) and it was deliciously rich. I actually struggled to get through it because of how rich it was. I think it was a mix of the sugary bun and very tasty sauce, but I couldn’t finish my burger. The chips on the other hand, well they were dead set the best I’ve had in ages, just amazing! Really crunchy, crispy and full of flavour, but not greasy. I don’t know how they do it, but these chips are worth the trip to Essendon.

Oh and the Nutella shake was great of course, but I guess that goes with out saying, seriously how can you make Nutella bad?

Overall I really liked Dude Food Man, but the husband, well he LOVED Dude Food Man, and demanded that I rate them an 8 at a minimum, so an 8 it is.

8/10