Wantirna – ohdenny

Oneworld Knox is located in the O-Zone section of Westfield Knox Shopping Centre. Their name aptly describes the variety of cuisines on offer, and by perusing their menu you can definitely tell that is the case. There’s African, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Italian and Spanish influences on Oneworld’s menu so there’s pretty much something for everyone. We were invited to dine at Oneworld, and one thing I noticed was that they go by the Farm to the Table philosophy, sourcing local produce for their dishes which I am a big fan of!

Oneworld have recently renovated and their fit out is cozy and welcoming, with overhanging plants and vibrant artwork on the walls. We were greeted by some friendly staff and of course, had to have a coffee to start off with. Their organic coffee is sourced from Healesville and has a lovely aroma to it but not too strong.

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We ordered the Buffalo Wingettes and the marinade on the wings was very flavourful with a subtlety of spice that carries through it. Tender chicken that goes nicely with the sour cream, fresh diced tomatoes and alfalfa.

The Fajitas were the standout at Oneworld. We ordered the chicken fajitas but you can also order it with beef, prawns or just vegetarian. What I loved about this dish was the fantastic flavours of that salsa and the chicken was perfectly cooked. Often, you’d find chicken to dry out, especially breast meat but here it was very well cooked. The puree of cherries, capsicum, onions, and celery that when combined create this pink puree was something I hadn’t had before, but what a great combination that adds a bit of sweetness to the dish. I wish I could make that so I could have it as a dip! This dish you could probably even feed two people with just a few more tortillas.//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

I like trying new things, so when I saw Camel Burger on the menu I was instantly drawn to it. Their camel meat is from South Australia, and it’s served with tomato sauce and fries. Surprisingly enough, it was actually quite tasty, camel meat tastes like a more robust beef or veal but just different. The Oneworld sauce that goes with it pairs well, with it’s slight creaminess. Though, the downside is that camel meat seems a bit more lean, so I found it just a tad dry even with the sauce. Overall, it’s a pretty decent burger!//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
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The Porterhouse Steak you can have your choice of garlic butter, mushroom jus or chimichuri sauce. If you choose the garlic butter, they actually provide you with a very generous serving of it in a small bowl. I’d have preferred a garlic butter sauce but the garlic butter was quite nice, though you probably don’t feel like having so much knowing how rich it is. The steak was also cooked to our request of medium and the salad gives the freshness it needs.
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Last words

Oneworld Knox has an extensive menu with a great variety of tasty foods on offer, and with friendly staff which is a major plus to me! Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, or just for some desserts or drinks, if you so fancy. Try the Fajitas!

Oneworld Knox
Knox O-Zone
425 Burwood Highway
Wantirna VIC 3152

T: 03 9801 8962

Opening Hours
Everyday – 10am to 10pm

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Straits Cafe near Knox is a popular Malaysian eatery, mostly known for it’s tasty Char Kway Teoh and overall good food. It’s extremely difficult to get tables during the weekend as the place doesn’t cater to many people (space is small) and well, people just enjoy going there to dine.

Sometimes Straits has specials on posted at the back whether it be main dishes or entrees. We ordered their Friend Chicken with Sambal seasoning. It was served fresh and straight from the fryer and was quite tasty. The skin was crisp and crunchy, and the chicken was cooked well. I couldn’t really taste the, I presume, spicy seasoning but for Malaysian Fried Chicken it was tasty nonetheless.

I believe they are quite well known for their Char Kway Teoh because of it’s authentic Malaysian flavour and one of the more spicy offerings around. There is just something I can’t really put my finger on it, that gives it that extra hit. It’s that special “wok” flavour but it’s so vague and indescribable that it’s best not to talk about that any further. You really are hard pressed to find a Char Kway Teoh as flavourful, spicy and overall tasty as this. I’d say Claypot King in Glen Waverley had nearly or even just as good of a offering as Straits but they no longer operate so the crown goes to Straits.

Their Char Hor Fun has stir fried hor fun noodles which are always a delight. The egg sauce is delicious, and I believe they put in the deep fried diced lard but I can’t be certain. Everything here was tasty, the seafood and chicken cooked nicely, and a good serve of vegetables. My only criticism, even if, ever so slight, is that they put the preserved (vinegar) chopped green chillies on the plate as well. So if you don’t like your sauce a tad sour, it can make the sauce kinda strange as somehow the chilli flavour spreads throughout the whole sauce. Again, nothing to make a fuss about, but it may not be to people’s likings.

One of their main specials was the Tok Tok Mee, which is apparently Penang Style. I can’t vouch for that as I have never tried it in Penang but this dish sure looked delicious. It had a wide selection of toppings from the steamed chicken, char siu pork, crumbed chicken, boiled wontons and vegetables. It really had it all.

Straits’ Teh Tarik was a slight letdown as it was overly sweet and lacked the pulling tea flavour. It also wasn’t frothy enough but still may please some people.

For a sweet warm dessert, Pulut Hitam hits the spot. My mother does an excellent Pulut Hitam, that is much less sweet and actually tastes better as a result (Go figure) but for a restaurant offering, it’s quite nice. It has those black sticky rice that give it that added texture and the coconut cream provides the creaminess that is much required. Overall, it’s a pretty good Pulut Hitam as many places don’t offer it, although slightly too sweet for my tastes but maybe I’m just spoilt with my mother’s delicious cooking.

Impressions

Straits Cafe offers a good variety of Malaysian dishes and most of them do hit the spot. The authentic Malaysian flavours is what people come back for and you can certainly see why. On weekends it was definitely is preferable to book ahead as without a reservation you may be waiting for quite some time.

Straits Cafe
241 Stud Rd
Wantirna South VIC 3152