tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22178319361655770692024-02-20T20:32:55.297-08:00Munch & MusePart food for thought, part thought for food.shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-25925481463678868002016-05-13T11:59:00.000-07:002016-05-13T12:00:38.092-07:00Eating To Live (Flashback to my first few weeks in Cambridge)<div class="tr_bq">
This is the reason why my blog died after August 2013. An excerpt from an unpublished blog post about the food in Cambridge (which, 2.5 years on, is <u>slightly</u> better):</div>
<blockquote>
<i>As I (literally) single-handedly type this post with my right hand, my left hand is stuffing my face with a "Cheese Ploughman's" sandwich from the Department of Engineering cafeteria which tastes like an odd mix of... really odd things... There are no words. But I was desperately hungry, and the sandwich along with 2 mandarins did only set me back £2.70. In essence, I am eating to live.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>With each bite of this sandwich, I am tempted to wave the white flag and surrender to my hunger, but my stomach won't be too happy. And so I soldier on. Yes, I have made a few war references. This is because, in my mind, I am at war with this awfully mediocre sandwich.</i></blockquote>
shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-58135481456347751742016-05-13T11:49:00.002-07:002016-05-13T12:02:01.896-07:00I'm back! With a chocolate mug cake :DSometimes I have chocolate cake cravings. They can be very strong. This particular time, I remembered that I had some Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream in my freezer. Once the thought was there, it grew and grew. Chocolate cake. Must. Have. Now.<br />
<br />
Since I didn't feel like baking a whole big cake, I proceeded to instead scour the internet for recipes of mug cakes. My literature review was hurried and by no means extensive (unlike the one I did for my PhD), but it did yield a good recipe <a href="https://www.nigella.com/recipes/members/etoiles-chocolate-mug-cake-for-two" target="_blank">(from Nigella's website)</a> which I edited to my taste and ended up being pretty darn tasty!<br />
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(No photo because I ate it too quickly - it's basically cake in a mug. Surprise.)<br />
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The version with my editions are here (for 2 servings):<br />
<br />
3 tbsp cocoa powder<br />
4 tbsp plain flour<br />
4 tbsp sugar (use demerara or other brown sugars for a caramel-y, nutty taste)<br />
1 medium egg<br />
1 pinch of salt<br />
3 tbsp milk<br />
3 tbsp melted butter<br />
1 scoop vanilla ice cream<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Mix the flour, sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl.</li>
<li>Add in the milk and melted butter, and mix well.</li>
<li>Beat the egg lightly with a pinch of salt in a separate bowl, and add to the cake mixture.</li>
<li>Separate the batter into 2 mugs (can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days and microwaved when desired)</li>
<li>Microwave one mug for 1 minute (for 700 watt microwave).</li>
<li>Serve topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream!</li>
</ol>
<div>
(Yay for the other mug of batter waiting in the fridge for me. I know what I'm having after lunch tomorrow!)</div>
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<br />shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-56508620209088435922013-08-03T02:51:00.001-07:002013-08-15T22:32:03.581-07:00Laughing all the way to... Podgy & The Banker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyLBHnkgaHo6XR9aV70z3LCIXu1fTVJzGhHR2wk_FuZ1g-hZ37e9rP8aRtHHaaZnmhHURIqvlv6cH6wT2648fPPbbeefB9p48_52-d-gmi1nTnrL6H5gRMnwbLT97SXOmK64fEGsojeWQ/s1600/20130803_105945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyLBHnkgaHo6XR9aV70z3LCIXu1fTVJzGhHR2wk_FuZ1g-hZ37e9rP8aRtHHaaZnmhHURIqvlv6cH6wT2648fPPbbeefB9p48_52-d-gmi1nTnrL6H5gRMnwbLT97SXOmK64fEGsojeWQ/s400/20130803_105945.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes - we were laughing. Because, being fresh off the boat (so to speak) from Melbourne, here was an up-and-coming cafe with all the promising hallmarks of a truly crowd-pleasing Melbournian coffee institution! From the nifty workshop-style lights and furniture, to the unfinished concrete counter, to the cute yellow and black cups and saucers, Podgy & The Banker had really gone to town with the now trending hipster cafe fit-out. And with great success at that.<br />
<br />
Next test - the coffee. So KL seems to be currently experiencing an explosion of coffee-mania (coffee-fever, coffee-delirium, coffee-hysteria, etc. you get the picture). I kid you not. It is quite a spectacular explosion and one to be watched very closely. I still haven't yet decided whether it is a subculture that will transcend generations, or if it is merely a passing fad akin to the recently trendy-and-then-not-so-much-anymore cupcake and macaron obsessions. Regardless, Podgy & The Banker serves up a pretty decent cuppa (my benchmark being a mocha - coffee aficionado, I am not). However, my brekkie companion, SR, who is much more of a coffee fan than I am quite enjoyed her flat white - so we must be on to something here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZQ6p6RZ-1IkRGSyG8HqSCKjrVRqMLuTXZvyIRoVJxS4nsV2H47RYN6ZxUABm2V51A6ME9Gilt6eS_ZekQZqEtp_XlanhFC68udCSX20caA79p0cs9LQ0Cq7SvhGi-H-QxHCwI0mv3eKp/s1600/Podgy+and+The+Banker1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZQ6p6RZ-1IkRGSyG8HqSCKjrVRqMLuTXZvyIRoVJxS4nsV2H47RYN6ZxUABm2V51A6ME9Gilt6eS_ZekQZqEtp_XlanhFC68udCSX20caA79p0cs9LQ0Cq7SvhGi-H-QxHCwI0mv3eKp/s640/Podgy+and+The+Banker1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So far, a tick for the ambiance and the coffee. Final item on the checklist - the food. Being only about 1 week old, the food menu was fairly basic - eggs poached, scrambled, or made into an omelet, and 3 sandwich offerings. With great trepidation I ordered the chicken and avocado sandwich. The thoughts running through my mind - is this even breakfast food; I hope to God that it's not Gardenia bread; will the chicken taste weird; avocado, in Malaysia? Yes, I was preparing myself for the worst. But I needn't have stressed out because the sandwich arrived and to my delight, went down a treat! Great bread, well-poached chicken, fresh avocado, soft melty cheese and just the right dollop of mayonnaise all came together in one lovely grilled sandwich. I couldn't have asked for more. SR's poached eggs with ham was also quite a success - the egg yolks nice and runny, and the ham (probably chicken) full of flavour. Served again with the yummy bread, toasted.<br />
<br />
A tick for the food, and bonus points for satisfying my avocado craving in the most fulfilling fashion! By the end of the meal, SR and I were very happy campers indeed.<br />
<br />
Teething problems (unpolished silverware and dusty glasses) aside, this cafe is the closest thing to hipster Melbourne that one can find in KL. Seriously. The other joints don't even come close. So check it out for yourselves if you have the time!<br />
<br />
<i>Notes:</i><br />
<i>Prices - our flat white and mocha were RM10 each, and the sandwiches were RM12 (now up to RM14)</i><br />
<i>+</i><br />
<i>Food from the kitchen is only available from 9am to 5pm, however there are many ready-made pastries and pies available for purchase throughout the day</i><br />
<i>+</i><br />
<i>Location - Podgy & The Banker can be found at No. 2, Jalan Sri Hartamas 8, Sri Hartamas, KL</i><br />
<i>+</i><br />
<i>Open 8am till late most days, CLOSED ON TUESDAYS</i><br />
<i>+</i><br />
<i>Credits - Thank you to SR for suggesting this place as the venue for our long overdue breakfast catch-up :)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com02 Jalan Sri Hartamas 8, Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.1573637 101.650917700000043.1573017 101.65083870000004 3.1574256999999997 101.65099670000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-59756089675186260352013-03-12T05:32:00.002-07:002013-08-15T22:55:08.787-07:00Breakfast Club Diaries Part 3 - No Misses at The Premises<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM99jwFYkU0CXXUECH459zcV5xg2AYb8_VbDH6aHiodEitdzAhFb-X44EO3MibAnE49FmBTPHRnHlHQ1FVipiUcZ2Sx-KyiGmS-yKRXoSZGm38Oa4Np3XL_zqaCTgDDaUL6nsI18ON4JEJ/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM99jwFYkU0CXXUECH459zcV5xg2AYb8_VbDH6aHiodEitdzAhFb-X44EO3MibAnE49FmBTPHRnHlHQ1FVipiUcZ2Sx-KyiGmS-yKRXoSZGm38Oa4Np3XL_zqaCTgDDaUL6nsI18ON4JEJ/s400/IMG_2002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi385NGUXkOKKLF7CCft38K_cZR79V5k_I4UfWRlbFoY2KZDe1lvIV-ioEFRlejNbsGWWbX2668epaxgprD1mibysrbH9woRlcMYpWIcdzxIOfuANC0Os5rSJo7NQAtrpuvOBoNqyUAmhjZ/s1600/IMG_2008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi385NGUXkOKKLF7CCft38K_cZR79V5k_I4UfWRlbFoY2KZDe1lvIV-ioEFRlejNbsGWWbX2668epaxgprD1mibysrbH9woRlcMYpWIcdzxIOfuANC0Os5rSJo7NQAtrpuvOBoNqyUAmhjZ/s400/IMG_2008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow roasted pulled pork... mmmmm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Finally! We have travelled through time from the latest undocumented BC meeting at Two:bob to our most recent one at The Premises in the quaint and lovely suburb of Kensington.<br />
<br />
The navigational double-threat duo of MK and me managed to turn what should have been a 10 minute drive from Parkville to Kensington into a 25 minute journey filled with numerous dubious U-turns and other unnameable driving stunts. Ok, so maybe this is an exaggeration - but we do seem to always attract our fair share of misread directions and wrong turns.. Ok, so maybe it isn't an attraction but an inherent snag in our mental fabric. Also, we really didn't expect this cafe to be right across the road from the Kensington train station...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ER9tLv4mq5GJyUms1QAwMs9BvD4jTZs7j_GGE3IX0BQ_9q6iw_2d0Rfki5i6jj4QWiW9CL9vORgJWwdyPHRV5I2ihzR0Ld7roeoTr5ctPUWZn6QWKzqjDhWULnjl2yi_lZ0WD6l9J34K/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ER9tLv4mq5GJyUms1QAwMs9BvD4jTZs7j_GGE3IX0BQ_9q6iw_2d0Rfki5i6jj4QWiW9CL9vORgJWwdyPHRV5I2ihzR0Ld7roeoTr5ctPUWZn6QWKzqjDhWULnjl2yi_lZ0WD6l9J34K/s200/IMG_2006.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot chocolate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So anyway, finally arrived at (the correct) final destination, and joined DS, AA and BNL at the communal table. This cafe, like Common Galaxia, had a truly intriguing centrepiece in the middle of the table! Think quirky but endearing combination of chemistry apparatus and botany.<br />
<br />
EP was yet again missing in action from this BC meeting. But not to worry - he definitely shall be making an appearance at the next one as we have issued him a warning that missing another BC meeting would cause him to lose considerable brownie points (that may one day be redeemable for actual brownies). No, not really - I made that up. But it is never good to lose brownie points. Me and the other BC members can only hope that he heeds this warning.<br />
<br />
About the food - I must say that I like the presentation of the dishes at The Premises the most out of all the breakfast places I have been to (except for perhaps The Hunter at Twenty and Six Espresso in North Melbourne that looks like the movie set from Narnia).<br />
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Check out the pics - and yes, the food tasted as amazing as they look!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqLrM5yrRaSG-1qIDg92cBUqO3KhyAFq7yg609OBN4PQTr5LtcaG-NWtgeKOmIeoa2ko-f5azH_-LyAJXy35qB39ADy8qzv7veISo8ZggSEAe0FUestscugMuNRJM5J_3nvUfg2uDIzi5/s1600/BC+Meeting+-+CNY+at+The+Premises.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqLrM5yrRaSG-1qIDg92cBUqO3KhyAFq7yg609OBN4PQTr5LtcaG-NWtgeKOmIeoa2ko-f5azH_-LyAJXy35qB39ADy8qzv7veISo8ZggSEAe0FUestscugMuNRJM5J_3nvUfg2uDIzi5/s640/BC+Meeting+-+CNY+at+The+Premises.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From top: Chorizo and potato hash; <br />
Kensington eggs; Eggs with sides</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1555876/restaurant/Melbourne/The-Premises-Kensington"><img alt="The Premises on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1555876/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-81205049700404911442013-03-12T04:55:00.001-07:002013-08-15T22:55:24.577-07:00Breakfast Club Diaries Part 2 - The (un)Common Galaxia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnePmUlvcD50qT2yYdtQgoX-lXSym7r6OGye2Ruu0OO4SQbI8Nv01hVlaeJ7Y9oBW7dmc3m8ctSLJrK8Bv9fmJESIc-26mLqTOI0CVFDLfpJ2V70lLGpGXwRf_Ac-Yl6_rF30K6tFjwS6/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnePmUlvcD50qT2yYdtQgoX-lXSym7r6OGye2Ruu0OO4SQbI8Nv01hVlaeJ7Y9oBW7dmc3m8ctSLJrK8Bv9fmJESIc-26mLqTOI0CVFDLfpJ2V70lLGpGXwRf_Ac-Yl6_rF30K6tFjwS6/s400/IMG_1540.JPG" width="396" /></a></div>
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Located in the lovely suburb of Seddon, the first thing I noticed in
this cafe was the wonderful centerpiece in the middle of the large
dining table. I loved it! It was like a mini-rainforest in a giant fish
bowl (yes, I do have a way with words... poetry some would call it..).<br />
<br />
Common
Galaxia is the name of a unique fish that lives in the Maribyrnong
River, near where this cafe is. I thought it slightly odd that the cafe
also serves a dish containing said fish.. It felt almost cannibalistic... But that's just me, and that is
the only thing I found odd about the place. Everything else was quite lovely and hipster-y.<br />
<br />
This venue had been chosen by EP, who didn't end up attending the meeting due to other (obviously more important) commitments. Tsk tsk. But since the food was so yummy, we forgave him and moved on with our lives. At this point, I am not going to even try to wax lyrical about the food and instead (as I usually do when hard-pressed for time) let the pictures do the talking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILOXWUIboWyJOgF0aarsBPTokahGWgcQixVu32K0TU0SS_uNOrNgAL7nHEeHNn_EzjzcsjfKhOLZBrBIf4e5efT2LZgCuA5B-FFskqm9wNpmDYNsyh_FA0HZK5g6ZbcCAzpy4_G2anDhyphenhyphen/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILOXWUIboWyJOgF0aarsBPTokahGWgcQixVu32K0TU0SS_uNOrNgAL7nHEeHNn_EzjzcsjfKhOLZBrBIf4e5efT2LZgCuA5B-FFskqm9wNpmDYNsyh_FA0HZK5g6ZbcCAzpy4_G2anDhyphenhyphen/s400/IMG_1546.JPG" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked eggs with potato, tomato, spring onion, grilled cheese, avocado salsa and sausage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioj0FXVOxYrTO2J9u1Ky87auitp9OgFTrWNDDuSJwdXTRotMBxQTVwPLpP41d1thxIAyVW15y9ZBbl4Ug8Y8Kfugh_nMaHeLt6fEHgS7KkLhdqkZmKG4xj0f4iFktFe2ghHPUq6FgbEMcf/s1600/BC+meeting+number+6+-+Christmas+Edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioj0FXVOxYrTO2J9u1Ky87auitp9OgFTrWNDDuSJwdXTRotMBxQTVwPLpP41d1thxIAyVW15y9ZBbl4Ug8Y8Kfugh_nMaHeLt6fEHgS7KkLhdqkZmKG4xj0f4iFktFe2ghHPUq6FgbEMcf/s640/BC+meeting+number+6+-+Christmas+Edition.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poached eggs on Sourdough Kitchen pumpkin bread with avocado and bacon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1685747/restaurant/Melbourne/Footscray/Common-Galaxia-Seddon"><img alt="Common Galaxia on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1685747/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-56584306319724157052013-03-02T00:27:00.000-08:002013-08-15T22:55:43.407-07:00Breakfast Club Diaries Part 1 - Got a bob (or two)?Firstly, apologies for the uber ginourmous gap between my last post and this one. I have been busy having a life... *coughpartyanimalcough* Well, no not really - but I have been involved in a number of interesting undertakings that have taken up a lot of my time over the past few months, the details of which I shall not bore you with.<br />
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So yes, here we are! BC meeting #5 was at Two:bob, a pretty simplistic, hipster-type cafe in Clifton Hill. It was recommended by B Ninja L (BNL for short), who had taken on his turn as BC meeting recommender with a great sense of responsibility and solemnity, having extensively researched and trialled multiple breakfast venues before deciding on Two:bob as the location of our next foray into the (mouth-)watering and wonderful world of breakfast food.<br />
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Housed in what seemed to be an old post office or bank, Two:bob's high ceiling, tall, arched windows and white and beige wooden furniture presented a bright, open dining area perfect for a cheerful and cosy catch-up with friends. The service was prompt, yet friendly - this was the day that the new iPhone5 had been released and our good 'ol Apple afficionado, Nintendo DS, had just collected her shiny new phone - much to the delight of our (very hipster) waitress, who ooh-ed and aah-ed over it for a good few minutes after taking our coffee orders.<br />
<br />
I had ordered the omelet with pork and fennel sausage with the oh-so-delicate buffalo mozzarella that came sprinkled with some rocket salad and the optional spicy tomato relish on the side (which our waitress insisted was the perfect accompaniment). She was right! I loved this dish - my only regret was that my stomach wasn't big enough for me to completely smash the meal. I slowed down considerably towards the end, but with great perseverance managed to polish the plate clean (so to speak!). The relish was indeed the perfect sweet and tangy accompaniment to the omelet.<br />
<br />
EP ordered the big breakfast (the most blokey dish on the menu) that came with poached eggs, pork sausages, bacon, grilled tomato, mushrooms, potato rosti and onion jam. If you had just spent a month fighting a raging war in some obscure corner of the world and returned to Melbourne, this is what you would have ordered to fill your roaring belly. Perfectly poached egg, accompanied by the assortment of sides that had been so well prepared, there really was no fault to find with this dish.<br />
<br />
I would like to continue on about the rest of the food we had, but alas!
time dulls the mind, and my mind truly has been dulled by the 4-5 month
lull between the occurrence of the BC meeting and this post.
Apparently, according to my photos, someone had some mushroom and goat's
cheese on toast dish that looks divine and must have tasted just as
divine, but I cannot for the life of me remember which Breakfast Clubber
this was and what they thought of the meal... :s Err, yeah and now to
the next BC meeting in this series! (<a href="http://www.munchandmuse.com/2013/03/breakfast-club-diaries-part-2-uncommon.html" target="_blank">see Breakfast Club Diaries Part 2</a>)<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1643058/restaurant/Melbourne/Two-Bob-Fitzroy-North" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Two Bob on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1643058/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-29615798556568810802012-11-17T03:58:00.000-08:002013-08-15T22:57:34.198-07:00Jamie's 15-Minute Meal (in ONE hour) - San Fran Quinoa and Blackened Chicken Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
So this post should really be called Jamie's 1-hour meal - because that's how long it took me to make it! Oh Jamie, how you make all culinary undertakings look like a piece of cake (and sometimes they actually involve cake).<br />
<br />
I was actually inspired to make this meal because:<br />
<ol>
<li>Jamie made it look amazingly easy - he did it in 15 minutes!</li>
<li>It involved the wonderful marriage of mango and chicken *I lovee*</li>
<li>It looked full of healthy goodness and I definitely needed some after eating like a pig in KL!</li>
</ol>
Fun fact - shopping for the ingredients took me more than 15 minutes!! (34 minutes to be exact)<br />
<br />
But I was determined to give it a go. So after hunting down ALL the ingredients (no compromises at all), I was ready to embark on my supposed 15-minute meal-making journey.<br />
<br />
Alas, it was not to be (15 minutes, I mean) :( 15 minutes after setting out to make my meal, I found myself still peeling my spring onions, and then peeling my mango, and then freaking out because my quinoa hadn't cooked in the 8 minutes that Jamie said it would. Oh life - why can't you ever be even the teeniest bit like what we see on TV?<br />
<br />
The aim of this post, unlike what the previous few paragraphs may lead you to think, is not to belittle Jamie's 15-minute meals for taking longer than 15 minutes to make, but actually to share what I think is a fairly successful effort at replicating something from a cooking show (albeit taking 4 times longer). And it is indeed a nice, healthy little recipe that all you health freaks out there will love to death because, get this, it actually tastes and looks amazing! The contrasting flavours - sweet mango, spicy and smokey chicken, tangy lime-drenched quinoa; the lovely colours - reds, yellows, greens; the varying textures - soft, crunchy, chewy... Mmmm :)<br />
<br />
I kept the quinoa, chicken, and capsicum separate and only assembled my salad in single serve portions. You'll be glad to know that the quinoa mixed with the herbs keeps well in the fridge for a few days and still maintains its lovely green colour. All components can be easily reheated (stove/microwave/oven). OH and also, I think the salad would work just as well with firm tofu replacing the chicken - blackened tofu! Yummayy.<br />
<br />
So without further ado, here is the recipe as taken from Jamie's website: <br />
<br />
<u><b>Jamie's San Fran Quinoa and Blackened Chicken Salad</b></u><br />
<br />
<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
<br />
<span class="hrecipe"><span class="ingredient">Quinoa salad<br />
1 mug (300g) of quinoa <i>(I used a mix of 3 types of quinoa)</i><br />
1 fresh red chilli <br />
100g baby spinach <br />
4 spring onions <br />
1 bunch of fresh coriander <br />
1 bunch of fresh mint <br />
1 ripe large mango <br />
2 limes <br />
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil <br />
1 ripe avocado <i>(I omitted this just because I didn't feel like handling an avocado</i><br />
50g feta cheese <i>(I used Danish feta - it has a creamier texture than Greek feta)</i><br />
1 punnet of cress <i>(I couldn't find cress, so I substituted it with snow bean sprouts. Big mistake - sprouts taste weird in this salad. I would use real cress or nothing at all when I make it in the future.)</i><br />
<br />
Chicken<br />
2 x 200g skinless chicken breasts <br />
1 heaped tsp ground allspice <br />
1 heaped tsp smoked paprika <br />
olive oil<br />
2 mixed-colour peppers<br />
<br />
To serve<br />
4 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt <i>(I used Greek yoghurt - love the texture and tang)</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<i>Method:</i><br />
<br />
<span class="hrecipe"><span class="instructions">Put the quinoa into the
pan and generously cover with boiling water and the lid. Put the
chilli, spinach, trimmed spring onions and coriander (reserving a few
leaves) into the processor, tear in the top leafy half of the mint, then
blitz until finely chopped. On a large sheet of greaseproof paper,
toss the chicken with salt, pepper, the allspice and paprika. Fold over
the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken to 1.5cm thick with a
rolling pin. Put into the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil,
turning after 3 or 4 minutes, until blackened and cooked through.<br /><br />De-seed
the peppers, cut each one into 8 strips and add to the frying pan,
tossing regularly. Peel and cut the mango into chunks. Drain the quinoa and rinse under the
cold tap, then drain well again and tip on to a serving board or platter. Toss with the blitzed spinach mixture, squeeze over the lime juice,
add the extra virgin olive oil, mix well and season to taste.<br /><br />Sprinkle
the mango chunks and cooked peppers over the quinoa. Halve and de-stone
the avocado, then use a teaspoon to scoop curls of it over the salad.
Slice up the chicken, toss the slices in any juices and add to the salad. Crumble over the feta, scatter over the remaining coriander leaves
and snip over the cress. Serve with dollops of yoghurt. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="hrecipe"><span class="instructions"> </span>
</span>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-59631205616321335052012-10-16T05:05:00.001-07:002013-08-15T23:03:59.524-07:00Divine Experiences @ St AliSorry guys - this post is more about the <i>food </i>at St Ali than the <i>coffee </i>at St Ali... Just putting it out there right at the start so that all you coffee-fanatics aren't disappointed when you reach the end of it and realise that I've mentioned the coffee a grand total of THREE times. (Yup, it's been mentioned twice already in this paragraph - so expect one final mention later-on in this post, i.e. 2 + 1 = 3 :p)<br />
<br />
So I'd never eaten at St Ali until 2 months ago when my housemates and I decided to try it out after our forage through the South Melbourne market. I'd never wanted to eat at St Ali before because I'd heard that the food was generally overpriced and overrated. Harsh.<br />
<br />
But boy oh boy was I in for a surprise! It turned out that they had revamped their WHOLE menu and I found my eyes glazing over from the divine descriptions of each item on offer. Did I want a "My Mexican Cousin" or a "63 Degrees Above (Not Below)" or "The Full Spanglish"? So much to try, but so little stomach space... (Did I hear someone say "first world problems"?)<br />
<br />
Sigh. Life is tough sometimes.<br />
<br />
So after some serious life/death contemplation, I decided to give the 63 degrees dish a go. Eggs cooked at 63 degrees for 63 minutes, sprinkled with "migas" (crispy fried bread), topped with cauliflower puree, white truffle oil and candied prosciutto. It was like I'd died and gone to heaven. Seriously. The white truffle oil and prosciutto were the icing on the cake for this dish. I was one happy person :)<br />
<br />
My housemate's mom, who had joined us for brunch, ordered the syphon coffee - I must say, for a person who really isn't into this whole scene, it's a pretty cool concept. Watching how it was brewed and passed through the filter using a siphon made me really miss my chemistry lab classes. Nerd much?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcEr7gigal-zMIog9T5M-seyAYpT6jn4-ZtYl7sGQ_AnlKo5phX50E4Sx0e0-JQcaLQrvQ8DQgDmQ_5we8qMJrTinBAnlfMl5iujvTc8vFR9I4qdFy6flYYpHOzVOIa8bjhEcajAvb0-E/s1600/IMAG0340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcEr7gigal-zMIog9T5M-seyAYpT6jn4-ZtYl7sGQ_AnlKo5phX50E4Sx0e0-JQcaLQrvQ8DQgDmQ_5we8qMJrTinBAnlfMl5iujvTc8vFR9I4qdFy6flYYpHOzVOIa8bjhEcajAvb0-E/s400/IMAG0340.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">63 Degrees Above (Not Below) - how precise...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So good was my experience that 2 months ago that I vowed to return to try the other dishes on the menu. And so I did, a few weeks later. This time I ordered the "My Mexican Cousin" with St Ali's home-made chorizo on the side. Warning: this is one massive meal - small bird-sized eaters like me will definitely be better of sharing it with another person. If the 63 degrees eggs had taken me to heaven, this meal was the god of all gods. I cannot remember being more blown away... (Except that time when the crazy Melbourne wind literally blew me away..)<br />
<br />
Secret recipe corn fritters - so light and fluffy and corny (they are made of corn after all) on the inside and crispy deep-fried goodness on the outside. The beauty of it almost brought me to tears.. Topped with fresh tomato, salad leaves, grilled haloumi & kasundi (tomato relish) with poached eggs, and not forgetting the awesome chorizo on the side. Guys, if you only have one chance to check-out St Ali, THIS is the dish you want to be ordering. Trust me - you won't regret it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-YUSFYRsYHovvGuldYJT9fU5nPvmHlNsJ1WlW72BCwGWwdeA34ZYi0TuxBc7BfgvvsOA7JagXWfgYMpI56I8HV6M0lD-wh67ctouWNgxIvFhuzPFUVUSIdyccSpf7EvVlCcWrnRMjF4L/s1600/20120916_105626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-YUSFYRsYHovvGuldYJT9fU5nPvmHlNsJ1WlW72BCwGWwdeA34ZYi0TuxBc7BfgvvsOA7JagXWfgYMpI56I8HV6M0lD-wh67ctouWNgxIvFhuzPFUVUSIdyccSpf7EvVlCcWrnRMjF4L/s400/20120916_105626.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mexican Cousin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The service was your regular hipster-style experience (i.e. more cool than warm). The ambience was great - giant warehouse, lots of natural sunlight, lively brunch crowd - you really can't ask for more.<br />
<br />
Defs worth checking out. Mind you, expect to be around $25 poorer at the end of it.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761778/restaurant/Melbourne/St-Ali-South-Melbourne"><img alt="St Ali on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761778/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-19953495242115012432012-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:002013-08-15T22:57:08.466-07:00Breakfast Club Meeting Numero Cuatro @ The Duchess of Spotswood, Spotswood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a looooong break, the BC is back in action!!<br />
<br />
My musical forays are temporarily over, and so now I can focus on my love of food again!! (NB: I'm ABLE to multi-task, I just don't have the TIME to..)<br />
<br />
So the Breakfast Clubbers (sans good 'ol Nintendo DS who was away partying it up in Singapore) happily trudged to Spotswood. It had been about 2 months since our previous meeting so we were naturally very excited! (And also slightly sad that DS couldn't make it). It had been EP's turn to choose a cafe - and The Duchess it was.<br />
<br />
So MK, the walking map of Melbourne, and I made our way from Parkville to Spotswood through the secret back roads that we knew so well - zipping through industrial and residential areas that we knew like the backs of our hands (no need for GPS!). Until we reached a road closure... Uh-oh. Then the real test began... Using our natural sense of direction, MK and I managed to wind up in 2 consecutive dead ends before we finally conceded defeat and consulted the trusty iPhone navigator.<br />
<br />
We managed to arrive at our destination only 15 minutes late! EP and AA were already inside and gave us amused smiles as MK and I giggled and guffawed recounting our journey. It was another 10 minutes before BNL (formerly known as BL - the newly added N stands for Ninja, coz he so stealthay!) literally stopped traffic as he crossed the road, en route to silently materialising in the empty chair at our table. We enquired regarding his secret ninja training, but he wasn't going to give up the secret that easily to us non-ninjas!<br />
<br />
The service was laid-back and friendly - no super hipster types here.
The ambience was bright and welcoming - I really liked the white walls and the glass door and windows that let plenty of sunshine in.<br />
<br />
The menu consisted of interesting and quirky-named dishes like "Breakfast of champignons", "Poetry (in motion)" and "Duchess of pork". Loved the names! EP ordered the breakfast of champignons - mushrooms on a potato+barley hash with poached eggs and English stilton. Stilton is a type of cheese - it was very yummy. The poached eggs were poached to perfection, which was good because the first time I'd been to Duchess, my poached eggs had been overcooked..<br />
<br />
AA ordered a more traditional eggs on toast with mushroom and bacon on the side, BNL had the Duchess of pork - crispy pig’s jowl with fried eggs, rich truffle sauce, and sourdough toast. Oh. Man. The. Pork. And that truffle sauce. What a combo. Yum. If I hadn't had so much pork the night before (birthday celebrations at Hoffbrauhaus), I would've ordered that dish too. So I decided that I was in the mood for some Poetry (in motion) instead. Poached seasonal pears, apricots, and prunes with puffed grains and vanilla yoghurt. The mix of soft, crunchy and chewy textures was absolutely delightful! 'Twas poetry indeed. MK had the Simple Pleasures - thinly sliced toast with roast beetroots, candied walnuts, goat curd and poached eggs. So easy to please.. Haha.<br />
<br />
And so we talked and ate, and were (very) merry. I was particularly off my rocker that morning for some reason, much to the amusement of the others. Think lack of brain to mouth filter. EP kindly photographed each of us (except himself) to send to DS, to show her what she was missing (what a friend). To which DS replied "but where's EP?". Lollers. All-in-all, another fun BC outing.<br />
<br />
And so with full bellies and light hearts, we parted ways, knowing that another BC outing was soon to come.<br />
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Already looking forward to the next one!<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1507086/restaurant/Melbourne/Yarraville/Duchess-of-Spotswood-Spotswood"><img alt="Duchess of Spotswood on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1507086/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-70453097286014723772012-07-11T07:08:00.002-07:002013-08-15T22:56:48.471-07:00Breakfast Club Meeting Numero Tres @ The Cornershop, YarravilleThe Cornershop!<br />
<br />
It's actually at a corner!<br />
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(I only figured this out as we were leaving the cafe.. Brilliant minds can be a bit slow sometimes...)<br />
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It was MK's turn to choose a place for our next BC meeting and having a friend who calls Yarraville home, The Cornershop was suggested. Being a bit of a noob when it comes to suburbs other than South Melbourne, North Carlton, North Melbourne and a select few others, I hadn't realised that such a quaint-sounding suburb even existed! Well, I should have known better. Yarraville is the epitome of trendy suburban Melbourne. Its main street is packed chock-a-block with all sorts of weird and wonderful-looking shops, the roadways lined with cars on either side, leaving just enough room for only 1 car to drive through at a time... (wait for it...) on a TWO-way street!<br />
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And so fate would have it, that just as DS and I were trawling through this treacherous narrow twig of a road space thing, we came face-to-face (as close as road vehicles go) with a giant Land Rover! Seriously?! Yes, apparently so.. So after some nifty maneuvering by DS, we finally managed to get past and drove on to find a parking spot.<br />
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BC newcomer AA was at hand to get us a table. What a chilly morning it was! AA, DS and me waiting at the corner of The Corner Shop, shivering in anticipation of our 3rd BC escapade (and also the cold). Oh what fun. There was however, a very cute beagle puppy that made waiting outside so much more bearable. It was absolutely adorable! But was unfortunately whisked away all too quickly by its owner who expertly packed it into the lower rung of his baby's pram! Yes, the little beagle puppy has its own little pram spot. I nearly exploded from the cuteness of what had just unfolded before me.<br />
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We were soon joined by good 'ol BL, all smartly dressed, looking like a local who had just strolled down to the cafe for his regular cup of coffee. And then we were given a table! Yes, finally.<br />
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Our table was around the back, in a very interesting enclosure that consisted of timber columns and beams supporting a frosted roof and transparent plastic walls. It felt like were outdoors, but not really. I thought it was pretty cool. The inside is quite different in that it has a bit more of an old school charm - perhaps it was the wooden shelf behind the counter, lined with bottles and jars that made it feel so (or the ladder leaning against the back wall, or the ceiling fans hanging from the dark timber ceiling, or a combination of all of the above..). Yes, I will stop my (somewhat poetic) rambling now.<br />
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You must be waiting to hear about the food.<br />
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Ok, so about the food:<br />
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I ordered myself the (erm...) potato cake thingy on some yoghurt other thing, and I think there were tiny bits of cucumber in there somewhere? Definitely drizzled with olive oil... Yes, I have left this post for too long, and alas have forgotten the name of the dish I had ordered! But all's good - a picture does paint a thousand words. So I shall say no more about this dish of mine, and let the pictures do the talking. Hah!<br />
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BL's scrambled eggs looked gooood - nice and fluffy and soft and packed with eggy goodness. YUM.<br />
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'Twas a nice meal indeed - and good service too. I was happy. And relaxed. And full. And so were my fellow BCBs.<br />
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And so, with our hearts warmed, and our bellies filled, we made our way out of this precious cafe, back to where it all started - the corner. And it was at precisely at this time that it occurred to me why the place was named so.<br />
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And with that ended our 3rd BC meeting. More fun times ahead!!<br />
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BC meetings have been put-off for a while due to my musical commitments, and the fact that everyone else seems to have something on on Saturday mornings. Those social butterflies.<br />
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But they will be back soon :) Hopefully in 1 month or so. The 5/6/7 of us will be gathering to share our love of Melbournian breakfasts once more.<br />
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But until then, more random blog posts :D<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1432520/restaurant/Melbourne/The-Cornershop-Yarraville"><img alt="The Cornershop on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1432520/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-15187136549365053502012-07-02T05:31:00.001-07:002013-08-15T22:56:21.529-07:00Famous Restaurants = Great Expectations?A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a few friends and recounting my dining experiences at the restaurants that previous seasons of Masterchef had opened my eyes to. Being completely objective on the matter, I had to admit that most of those experiences had failed to meet my expectations. Expectations that had been built up by watching the famed chefs of famed restaurants cook on the oh-so-popular Masterchef, be it the celebrity chef cook-off, or an Adriano Zumbo-style "replicate my amazing 8 layer vanilla cake" challenge.<br />
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There was The Press Club - I was pretty impressed by it the first time I was there. I had lunch there with my aunt and uncle, and I remember the lamb dish where each bite was like a little mouthful of heaven. This was in 2009, i.e. pre-Masterchef. Post Masterchef, I would be lying if I said that I was blown away by my degustation meal... It was really tasty and well-presented, but somehow just wasn't quite the nearly life-changing meal I was expecting it to be. And yes Masterchef is to blame for this. Don't get me wrong, I love watching Masterchef, as I do any other good cooking show. But this show really built up my expectations of what amazing food would taste like. And the reality of the meal just didn't match how I had imagined it would taste.. For those who don't know - George Calombaris, one of the Masterchef judges, is the owner and head chef of Press Club. Press Club was featured in a group challenge on the show in 2010 where contestants had to prepare the degustation menu for the re-opening of the restaurant. The food looked a lot tastier on TV...<br />
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The other restaurant that surprisingly didn't quite meet my expectations was Quay in Sydney. Best restaurant in Australia and some amazing organic farm up in some hill/mountain where they get their fresh produce from, I was expecting a van Gogh-esque experience of culinary art. Didn't quitee meet the mark there. Sad, but true. The food was amazing, but was let down by little things that I was surprised a place like Quay would have overlooked. There were a few very strong tasting pieces of tuna sashimi in one of my dishes, I had been expecting each dish to knock my socks off - but the explosions of flavour were more Molotov cocktail than nuclear bomb.. Underwhelming. I had the famous guava snow egg desert that became famous for being the ultimate final challenge on Masterchef - it was amazingly tasty, but the meringue had a flat egg white taste that didn't appeal to me. My baby cousin's banana porridge probably has more flavour.<br />
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Now I know that you must be thinking "wow, those are some crazy expectations!", but hey - I only built them up to be what they were based on what I saw and heard on TV... Can you really blame me?<br />
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The point of this post isn't to complain about each and every flaw in these restaurants' dishes, it's just me voicing my thoughts on how our expectations can be inflated so much by what we watch on TV.<br />
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Having said that, you will be glad to know that as a result of this philosophical exercise, I now know not to let my expectations build up too much. Food is food - it may look amazing on TV, and the TV people may talk them up to be the amazing concoctions that they <i>may potentially</i> be, but I'm not buying half of it until I've tried the food for myself. Hah!<br />
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Also, it is important to note that these expectations that I refer to in this post are only in relation to certain fine dining experiences I've had. Give me a good ol' Malaysian char kuay teow from the road-side hawker any day and I will not even <i>think </i>of complaining. Street food is gooood - cheap, simple, and packed with flavour (and also some other ingredients best left unknown..). It's the expensive stuff that I reserve my harsh judgement for.shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-88915097170390064082012-05-28T05:30:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:00:52.552-07:00Chicken Pad Kra Pao!Yes, I'm doing it - 2 posts in as many days!! "What is this?!" you may ask? Well, I think I'm on a bit of a roll :)<br />
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And, I figured that there's no point putting-off this post till later because I'll have to write about my Breakfast Club Outing Numero Tres soon, and I can't have this in the way!<br />
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Oh and also, I'm <strike>a little bit</strike> <strike>VERY</strike> kinda proud about how my pad kra pao turned out! It tasted pretty authentic too if I do say so myself. See, I'm actually 1/16th Thai (my great-great grandma was Thai), so maybe it's the teeny bit of Thai blood in me that made me so naturally good at producing this dish... *coughselfpraisecough*<br />
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The reason why I chose to make this dish was because I have sweet basil growing in my little herb corner. True, it's sweet basil and not Thai basil, but hey, as they say: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade! My herb corner gave me sweet basil, so I made pad kra pao with sweet basil. True story. I was a little worried that the flavour of the basil wouldn't be strong enough to cut through the fish sauce and chilli, but I was pleasantly surprised. <br />
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So here's what I did:<br />
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<u><b>Pad Kra Pao (Minced Chicken Stir-fried with Basil)</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Minced chicken (surprise!) - I used one breast and one thigh, so roughly 350g</li>
<li>4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped</li>
<li>1/2 medium red onion, finely sliced (or diced)</li>
<li>1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely (I like it a little spicy, so I left some seeds in...)<br /> **Warning** DON'T scratch/rub your eyes, nose, or any other body part after slicing the chilli... even if you've washed your hands, it will still sting. I learned the hard way. Not fun.</li>
<li>A few sprigs of basil, should be Thai basil, but I used sweet basil (about 10-15 leaves)</li>
<li>2 stalks of spring onion, sliced finely - not traditionally included in the dish, but I had some leftover so I just threw it in (literally)</li>
<li>2-3 tablespoons of light soy sauce (depends on how salty you like your food to be)</li>
<li>2 tablespoons of fish sauce</li>
<li>3 tablespoons of brown sugar</li>
<li>1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for frying</li>
<li>Pinch of pepper (I didn't add any pepper in this version, but I will next time!)</li>
</ul>
So to start, just heat the oil up in a frying pan and, over a medium fire, fry the garlic, onion and chilli until fragrant and browning (not burning!).<br />
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Then add the minced chicken, fish sauce and soy sauce and stir vigorously (at this point, my arm started to ache...), once the chicken is cooked (i.e. it doesn't look like raw meat), add the spring onions and basil and keep stirring until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates. MOST of the liquid, not all of it. About 4/5 of the liquid should evaporate, in my opinion.<br />
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Then just serve it with some steamed jasmine rice and a fried egg! :) You can also make this dish with minced pork. But I prefer chicken.<br />
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Nommerssss!<br />
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Peace out (homies).shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-26354018812748757362012-05-27T02:23:00.002-07:002012-05-28T06:00:10.690-07:00Indian-style Deep-fried EggplantSo I was craving some home-style deep-fried eggplant like my mom used to make. Being in Melbourne, far away from anyone who could/would make it for me, I endeavoured to make some myself :)<br />
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I loveeee lebanese eggplants - bought some from Woolies a few days back. Yummay! I also happened to have some spring onion shoots and half an onion rolling around the vege compartment in my fridge. Perfect :) My mom never used spring onions in her version, but I figured that I
might as well throw them in to add some colour and extra flavour to the
dish.<br />
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So about 30 minutes later (I'm still quite slow in the kitchen!), my eggplant dish was finally ready. Taste test: It tasted pretty darn good! (Phew) I ate is with steamed rice, but it should taste pretty good with any type of bread or couscous as well. And it will be a really good side dish to be served with lamb curry (or lamb kebabs, or lamb anything!). Lamb and eggplant seem to go so well together! <br />
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<b><u>Indian-style Deep-fried Eggplant</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>2 Lebanese eggplants, halved lengthwise and finely sliced (2-3mm thick)</li>
<li>1/2 large red onion, halved and finely sliced</li>
<li>2 stalks of spring onions, sliced in 5mm bits</li>
<li>4 cloves of garlic, sliced however you like (I like chunky pieces)</li>
<li>5-6 dried red chillies</li>
<li>1 sprig of curry leaves</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder</li>
<li>1 teaspoon of turmeric powder</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of chilli powder (omit or reduce as you like)</li>
<li>Salt - used to soak the eggplants in before frying</li>
<li>Oil for deep-frying</li>
</ul>
First, I soaked the sliced eggplant in a bowl of water with about 1 tablespoon of salt in it - this prevents the eggplant from discolouring and also makes the eggplants less bitter. I left it to soak for about 20 minutes while I sliced my onion, spring onions and garlic.<br />
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Then I drained the water from the eggplant bowl and threw in the cumin, turmeric and chilli powder and gave the concoction a good mix to coat each piece as evenly as possible.<br />
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Got my oil heated up in a wok - it needs to be really hot or you'll get soggy, oily eggplant pieces. I test if the oil is hot enough by 'sacrificing' a piece of eggplant - if it sizzles vigorously when dropped into the oil, it means the oil is hot enough. (Deep-frying for dummies :p)<br />
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Deep-fry the eggplant in batches (note: overcrowded wok = soggy eggplant) and set it aside - you know it's fried when it turns a golden brown.<br />
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In a separate frying pan over a medium fire, with a teeny bit of oil, I fried the dried chilli and curry leaves till fragrant (about 30 seconds), then threw in the garlic and onion and fried them for 3-5 minutes until soft and just turning a nice golden colour.<br />
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I then threw in the spring onions and fried the mixture a little bit more (about 2 minutes), and added the eggplant back into the mixture. Stir for a few more minutes, and voila! The dish is ready :)<br />
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And then the best part - serve and EAT!<br />
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(Would've loved to add some mustard seeds - about 1 teaspoon - to the dish, but alas, I had run out!)shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-82834328081494541472012-05-19T06:27:00.004-07:002012-05-28T06:08:16.118-07:00Elceed(s) Expectations :)Is the title too much of a fail at wordplay??<br />
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Well, it's going to have to do because I can't seem to think of anything better at this point in time. Meh.<br />
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So Elceed opened just a few months ago, and I stumbled upon photos of its food on my Facebook newsfeed (I know what you're thinking - no, I wasn't stalking!). And it was put on my list of breakfast places to check out. Yes, I have a list for that. I also have a list for anything else that lists can be made for. I love lists. It makes my scattered and constantly confuddled mind a bit less so.<br />
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So I did get a chance to check it out (hooray!), and I loved it! This place, like Mixed Business, also has a cosy little backyard eating area with lots of potted plants and wooden tables and stools. It is more spacious than the backyard at Mixed Business, but has a similar vibe. I was really happy that we had the chance to sit there. The place was fairly quiet for a Saturday afternoon... which was a bit of a pity because it is a really nice cafe! So naturally, it <i>should</i> have more patrons... *hint hint*.<br />
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The food was very good - well-presented (passes the initial "needs to look like something you'd actually want to eat" test), each dish had a very good mix of components that contrasted and balanced well with each other, and (most importantly) the flavours and cooking methods were well executed (e.g. the grilled haloumi, candied prosciutto, poached eggs).<br />
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I had the Meredith goat's cheese with mushrooms, rocket and candied prosciutto on toast. This is a dish that I would highly recommend - that candied prosciutto - oh man. Delicate thin slices of prosciutto, candied to perfection with just the right amount of fat marbled through. It was practically singing out to me from the paddle it was served on (think Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma). Every bite made a soft crunching sound, the texture of which contrasted so well with the creamy goat's cheese and the soft, juicy mushrooms.<br />
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The other dishes sampled were the poached eggs (which JWT - the Matt Preston of poached eggs - pronounced to be perfectly poached) with spinach, yoghurt and dukkah on toast; the poached eggs with grilled haloumi and bacon on sourdough; and the upside down apricot and mandarin teacake served with clotted cream. I lurved the teacake - it was moist, and soft, the pieces
of apricot and mandarin on top were sweet and tangy, and that clotted
cream on the side was the cherry on top of the cake, so to
speak.<br />
<br />
And of course, I ordered myself a chai latte. Seriously, I've been having random and uncontrolled cravings for chai latte over the past few days. Damn female hormones.. On that note, I'm not entirely convinced that this beverage should even be called a chai latte because it literally translates to be "tea milk" (chai means tea in Hindi, and latte means milk in Italian)... ?? And then there's the obvious fact that it's a term that is an amalgamation of 2 completely different languages. Catch my drift?<br />
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But anyway, back to my chai latte/spiced tea with milk thing:<br />
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I'm pretty sure that I actually squealed out loud in amusement and delight when my chai tea was served, not exactly because I was that excited about the tea (there's only so much you can do with the drink), but because the teapot that it was served in was sooo quirky!! It looked like something from a chemistry lab that had been modified to vaguely resemble a teapot - a beaker with a lid and a spout, little bits of coiled metal in it (to strain the tea), and a handle that is effectively a spring bent into a hyperbolic curve! An endearing combo of cute and geeky. *Squee* The engineer in me found it very appealing and worthy of further examination and appreciation.<br />
<br />
Seriously, the place is worth checking out. Now, don't all go at once - I think part of its charm is also the fact that it isn't packed and hectic like most other Melbournian brunch spots. It's the kind of place that, on a good day, you could sit at the back, in the sun, amidst the hanging flower pots, with your favourite book, while you sip your tea/coffee and lazily consume (or devour) your meal of choice.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1635359/restaurant/Melbourne/Elceed-North-Melbourne"><img alt="Elceed on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1635359/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-8009167078783909982012-05-17T06:02:00.002-07:002012-05-28T06:02:52.983-07:00White Chocolate and Almond FudgeSo I've just been to the gym (actually 3 hours ago), and I swear that I can still feel an ample amount of endorphins coursing through my veins. Either that, or I'm just feeling super happy for no particular reason... (Yes, I thought so too - the former is the most likely explanation :p)<br />
<br />
While I'm in the mood, I figured that I might as well share what I whipped up last week after being inspired by an episode of Masterchef.<br />
<br />
I came across the recipe for white chocolate and almond fudge on a friend's blog, <a href="http://bakecookeat.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/white-chocolate-and-almond-fudge.html" target="_blank">Bake Cook Eat</a>, and had been meaning to try it ever since I'd read the recipe. This was my first attempt at making fudge. I was unable to identify the "softball" stage that Sam talks about in her post... But my fudge did set very well in the end :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4LmMT1HH-p9OOOux-NfBZJBzEkWZG0u5FmjJFZ2jJnLCCL3I5Zt1MNqER2ANO0EXWFuvEb5t7uuLutpwi8d1pUYd8tL7esb6uNyrFSBA7C4SuNCxe842APb77mBWGNlyeyBrukQKjB82/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4LmMT1HH-p9OOOux-NfBZJBzEkWZG0u5FmjJFZ2jJnLCCL3I5Zt1MNqER2ANO0EXWFuvEb5t7uuLutpwi8d1pUYd8tL7esb6uNyrFSBA7C4SuNCxe842APb77mBWGNlyeyBrukQKjB82/s400/IMG_1307.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evaporated milk, sugar and butter. Mmmm... :)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-q-_-c7sJIQkr8LHVyJDkmD8jgII2dJYVMvHH1qhgnCCVA_v6zxwaxYR7q_iiZK0m7IcLkrHCiFv0EBOLpI0GqrphZ1y6sYUchddhDmm_Du7G1opS78ixVkrxgQay3YhGTiR4NgRl-YH8/s1600/IMG_1308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-q-_-c7sJIQkr8LHVyJDkmD8jgII2dJYVMvHH1qhgnCCVA_v6zxwaxYR7q_iiZK0m7IcLkrHCiFv0EBOLpI0GqrphZ1y6sYUchddhDmm_Du7G1opS78ixVkrxgQay3YhGTiR4NgRl-YH8/s400/IMG_1308.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fudge!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next on my list is to make a dark chocolate and almond fudge, when I find
the time... I think the bitterness of the dark chocolate will offset the
sweetness of all that sugar
very well.<br />
<br />
P.S. I think the endorphins are wearing off... starting to feel sleepy.. <br />
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</div>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-32574684143489260302012-05-08T06:08:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:06:09.015-07:00Breakfast Club Meeting - Numero Dos @ Mixed Business, Queens Parade, Clifton HillSo it turns out that I have a combo of a congested nose, sore throat and an ear infection. Score.<br />
<br />
It's 6.30pm - too early to go to sleep. So the next best thing I can do is *drum roll* *cue suspense music* <b>write another blog post</b>! :) The other thing I could do is finish reading "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes"... but I'm already nearly at the end of the book, so I'm trying to read it as slowly as possible to make it last longer :p<br />
<br />
Which leaves me in my present condition - all warm and snug under my awesome doona with my awesome new doona cover, sipping my green tea with lemon and lemongrass, and typing this post.<br />
<br />
So anyway, enough with the random facts.<br />
<br />
BC meeting numero dos (I like saying the number bit in Spanish coz it just sounds cooler... and slightly silly as well - a charming combination, kinda like me..). DS suggested that we check out Mixed Business in Clifton Hill. I had never heard of the place before and therefore wasn't really sure what to expect. Thus I had no expectations (just in case you didn't get that from the previous sentence).<br />
<br />
So took a leisurely tram ride, the number 86 tram to Bundoora, down Smith Street and Queens Parade to Mixed Business. It was a gloomy day with no blue sky in sight, and quite cold too. But I had <i>volunteered</i> (images of the scene from The Hunger Games where Katniss Everdeen frantically yells "I volunteer!!" pop into my head as I type this) to go earlier to get us a table.<br />
<br />
I was determined not to overshoot my stop, and ended up getting off one stop too early instead!! Epic fail - when am I ever going to get this right? But anyway, it was actually a good thing because I then had the chance to walk through the quaint shops and cafes that line the start of Queens Parade in a setting that is an intriguing combination of a little bit hipster, a little bit granny, and a little bit Modern Family. Well, at least that's my take on it :)<br />
<br />
And so I walked, and walked, and walked a bit more... Past all the nice little shops, past some slightly dodgy-looking houses, past some nicer looking houses, past some abandoned shop lots (think eerie, broken windows)... And finally! After all that walking, like an inviting tropical island getaway in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, stood Mixed Business! Spilling out onto the five-foot way with benches and seats for those more inclined to enjoy the (at that time, non-existent) sunshine in all its bright, UV-filled glory.<br />
<br />
So I had to wait about 25 minutes to get a table large enough for us 5 Breakfast Clubbers. But I didn't mind at all, because right next to Mixed Business, equally random in it's location, was a flower shop! A very quirky, artsy flower shop. And they sold very cool seedlings of fruits, vegetables and herbs that I happily rummaged through while waiting for a table, wishing that I could be fortunate enough to have a garden to plant them in.<br />
<br />
So finally everyone arrived, except for EP who was a little late from his basketball session. We sat down, and I ordered myself a soy chai!! The others got all sorts of coffees...<br />
<br />
The crowd was very interesting - there were the hipsters, the cheerful retirees, the lone guy with an interesting tattoo on his arm, the soccer mom with her 2 sons sitting at the counter right by the window, and there was us. The cafe also has a neat line of two-seater tables lining a little lane around the back, in a cute, unkempt and enduring garden. There was also a table for 4 nestled amongst the plants - I would have loved to sit there had we been fortunate enough to arrive at a time when the table was clearing. Next time!<br />
<br />
The service was prompt and efficient. Simple, no fuss - just the way I like it to be.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXcKqm0MffcOB22oS6RAPCNSkr9y12GLnUeYoa0dTrqwgVHxCOv6WMu-TJ2urdCRKu1UbWBORkxlcx8s3z9LooTEMdR95vChYPvqcbPSric7w9GctsQslfxc-keftzvuYJ6uVP00X9jq5/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXcKqm0MffcOB22oS6RAPCNSkr9y12GLnUeYoa0dTrqwgVHxCOv6WMu-TJ2urdCRKu1UbWBORkxlcx8s3z9LooTEMdR95vChYPvqcbPSric7w9GctsQslfxc-keftzvuYJ6uVP00X9jq5/s400/IMG_1286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chai! Soy Chai :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On to the food!<br />
<br />
DS faced a very serious dilemma in choosing between the smoked salmon, pickled beetroot, dill & creme fraiche with poached eggs on toast and the gingerbread waffles with maple syrup, baked apple, vanilla bean ice cream and candied walnuts. But yours truly, the super problem-solving machine, suggested that she have the smoked salmon as her main meal, and we could all share the gingerbread waffles after. That way she would have the chance to try both and not have to worry about finding space in her stomach to finish 2 full-sized dishes. Yay!! Problem solved!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw8iy9t7HATUfO16RCHl89UVmpT5b0uv-N6HVFUdi73fYUThgSQcppnDwHqLJPEbPhIPLyl6mZUQw-wkcX8Ud3cYXl-2NUatpDDr91rX2jj3O2ZS3PGI0CqcZ7IJx0WxNiJKjaN82x38e/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw8iy9t7HATUfO16RCHl89UVmpT5b0uv-N6HVFUdi73fYUThgSQcppnDwHqLJPEbPhIPLyl6mZUQw-wkcX8Ud3cYXl-2NUatpDDr91rX2jj3O2ZS3PGI0CqcZ7IJx0WxNiJKjaN82x38e/s640/IMG_1295.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mouthwatering.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This time, we were more adventurous and ordered a different dish each. So DS had the smoked salmon dish mentioned above, I ordered the roast field mushrooms with goat's cheese, hazelnuts and greens on toast, BL had the minute fillet steak with smoked tomato sauce, mushroom, and greens with free range eggs on sourdough, MK had the avocado and house marinated fetta (with a poached egg on the side) on organic sourdough toast, and EP had the grilled pancetta, slow roast tomato and parmesan with free range poached eggs on sourdough toast.<br />
<br />
Everyone really enjoyed their food - the bread was awesome, my mushroom dish was very yummy, and EP's pancetta looked like little crunchy strips of bliss. And then the <i><i>pièce de</i> résistance: </i>The gingerbread waffles that came not only with maple syrup, but also baked apples (do I hear your tummy say YUM?), vanilla bean ice cream AND candied walnuts. Yes - it was all that we expected it to be, and more. It was a lovely construction of warm, golden-hued components, topped with a scoop of that delectable vanilla bean ice cream. I couldn't think of a better way to end our meal :)<br />
<br />
And now, you can feast your eyes on the food. Enjoy! (P.S. I cropped some of my photos in a new and cool way...)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcYy6BekzD14zkpkP4wXKXpBkPCB3TPuXnVjB3uPJjDIjrtPbwMTJxKN_klBnuciNGqVlHFaDrYx1nlN0i-Wk3bLSrNhT8nnBkwWKoFZMmo2lhuUsPGvMk2kJc3yEle0lz4xQxzrFZaDb/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcYy6BekzD14zkpkP4wXKXpBkPCB3TPuXnVjB3uPJjDIjrtPbwMTJxKN_klBnuciNGqVlHFaDrYx1nlN0i-Wk3bLSrNhT8nnBkwWKoFZMmo2lhuUsPGvMk2kJc3yEle0lz4xQxzrFZaDb/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steaaakkk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH4IYLt1iEVrrk0qXua5oL6Dbcy-BFaN9fXmePjwAnQ4A6Xjur4xo1kb6X90oYhrwPcpKUVA75HoBJS0nN5giUUPQSKnIng9iLx_BGalmu_LufvlraNet240CwaoelOn7JVdIPo4jzrJi/s1600/IMG_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH4IYLt1iEVrrk0qXua5oL6Dbcy-BFaN9fXmePjwAnQ4A6Xjur4xo1kb6X90oYhrwPcpKUVA75HoBJS0nN5giUUPQSKnIng9iLx_BGalmu_LufvlraNet240CwaoelOn7JVdIPo4jzrJi/s400/IMG_1288.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked salmon heaven</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_htGOaBAXoRhrHqv2LS7_aZQONTelt2Ip_bJzXF_q4d8eX1bOH9kIs8LNXo82r2FHWoabo9AoeA6AJDnSUD8zveyu8paBaXGHf1J9tjksB8eFZ7vG01kHWDkcHaa17DZF3oQgjzuldi-m/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_htGOaBAXoRhrHqv2LS7_aZQONTelt2Ip_bJzXF_q4d8eX1bOH9kIs8LNXo82r2FHWoabo9AoeA6AJDnSUD8zveyu8paBaXGHf1J9tjksB8eFZ7vG01kHWDkcHaa17DZF3oQgjzuldi-m/s400/IMG_1289.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avocado n eggs.. Mmmm :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyyBTc-MqxY7Ub5TzZSmlH4KY42yApC9SnjC_r8g6TG8DGyBhYJ3cMtvP3f1BxdYnwUfXAgCAq64lyhpbMc53wQ4XUsrF_wbyCjnT6nV2cRZqQrXwklFZzIWYKq6TsU4CNEeWp_WHMG4q/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyyBTc-MqxY7Ub5TzZSmlH4KY42yApC9SnjC_r8g6TG8DGyBhYJ3cMtvP3f1BxdYnwUfXAgCAq64lyhpbMc53wQ4XUsrF_wbyCjnT6nV2cRZqQrXwklFZzIWYKq6TsU4CNEeWp_WHMG4q/s400/IMG_1290.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mush"vroom!" Mushroom, hazelnut and goat's cheese *sigh*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4X3hSM9YTQQwjcVrtS37rjeorCuRQGho9-gAGA3wjI8V1X8F8-6Z2XqpjWa1fvUZIzK4b8n0_Kn2YtZKDMKcj1pbxtkuZzFw_UEwZ0saZioF99F4ODCQUloPBy8-UVSNFpRwUbQmL-9e/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4X3hSM9YTQQwjcVrtS37rjeorCuRQGho9-gAGA3wjI8V1X8F8-6Z2XqpjWa1fvUZIzK4b8n0_Kn2YtZKDMKcj1pbxtkuZzFw_UEwZ0saZioF99F4ODCQUloPBy8-UVSNFpRwUbQmL-9e/s400/IMG_1291.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artsy photo crop - grilled pancetta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur2ZcF9nG5NykLnEeuGb6YPLvPDKZe2Oc72L76YSMvVUSmropbbfB9uxjLN0lpXoRRyPQpigs1MILj3bOt4BKjBPJJ0nboEZ80l_W40DUhaTbPhuoN0ewBQJuGJaHThY7sayhwekTu6Gy/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur2ZcF9nG5NykLnEeuGb6YPLvPDKZe2Oc72L76YSMvVUSmropbbfB9uxjLN0lpXoRRyPQpigs1MILj3bOt4BKjBPJJ0nboEZ80l_W40DUhaTbPhuoN0ewBQJuGJaHThY7sayhwekTu6Gy/s400/IMG_1292.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To Die For - Gingerbread Waffles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pmGE_eqzOd_9G7o5REg-SKs9dqjPL6nDUtPzqgi_6kjsTuU50wMQEdrRBC1_oQNM0K6Yf3NNczruNCB1urykIq3T8CbkGZYB7RnUoZegUHpsEFmTsE3hvHQZvPLe4YAsNw2O2BFXnwKM/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pmGE_eqzOd_9G7o5REg-SKs9dqjPL6nDUtPzqgi_6kjsTuU50wMQEdrRBC1_oQNM0K6Yf3NNczruNCB1urykIq3T8CbkGZYB7RnUoZegUHpsEFmTsE3hvHQZvPLe4YAsNw2O2BFXnwKM/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummers!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNsQWb_R6xPBQ5DmhP-vf7FtIw2uH1aNzytVEyGQ762Oxz_8wImrgGmKWXPAWqxopPQgknCdIsEyAGmShEOj-FeZqciiL6bKPfdJhhcqEGp62NGxN5whTNTSYkxFvYgJsmGEEEi2tEAH-/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNsQWb_R6xPBQ5DmhP-vf7FtIw2uH1aNzytVEyGQ762Oxz_8wImrgGmKWXPAWqxopPQgknCdIsEyAGmShEOj-FeZqciiL6bKPfdJhhcqEGp62NGxN5whTNTSYkxFvYgJsmGEEEi2tEAH-/s400/IMG_1294.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at allllllll the space!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1454632/restaurant/Melbourne/Fitzroy-North/Mixed-Business-Clifton-Hill"><img alt="Mixed Business on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1454632/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-3452356247197144372012-04-28T01:45:00.001-07:002012-05-28T06:06:09.023-07:00Breakfast Club Meeting - Numero Uno @ Proud Mary, Oxford Street, CollingwoodRecently, some of my workmates and I realised that we share a passion (yes, <i>passion</i> is the right word to use here) for trying out new breakfast places around Melbourne. The natural next step was to (OBVIOUSLY) form a Breakfast Club. At that time, I was unaware of the fact that this was the name of an 80s movie that was apparently quite big in the 80s... Not that I would know.. The DVD is still sitting on my desk waiting to be watched (courtesy of fellow Breakfast Clubber, DS).<br />
<br />
So anyway, back to the subject matter of this post: Armed with a copy of The Age's Cheap Eats Guide, we decided upon Proud Mary as the venue for our first ever Breakfast Club meeting. *Life changing moment* (Not really... but kinda a little bit...) So on one slightly gloomy, slightly chilly Saturday morning, me and my fellow Breakfast Club Buddies (BCBs) trudged down to Oxford Street for the exciting event that was our inaugural club meeting!<br />
<br />
Proud Mary is housed in a very cool industrial-looking building, on the corner of a misleadingly quiet street just off Smith Street. Being the tram-ride junkie that I am, I kinda got carried away daydreaming on the tram and missed the stop and then had to struggle with the annoying GPS on my phone to direct me back to the correct street! (My brain was faster than the GPS... That's how slow it was :p)<br />
<br />
There is something about that area that I took an immediate liking to. If you want to get a table quickly, you HAVE to go early. Even then, quickly may well be a 10 minute wait... The good thing is that, there is plenty of off-street parking for those who drive.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRt_ygnBbHCRpGha0v8XhvOTOamqZrNHj5VY6vUv7pi1ubi1Aq5_S99zeCiuPW42x0s7ORIhjaqyp5_6-vfihgFh4JCCTHqJrys-fxv-mFvAYXPxyaLQnWzvpv21L_P3MX12yk8jgoqAt/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRt_ygnBbHCRpGha0v8XhvOTOamqZrNHj5VY6vUv7pi1ubi1Aq5_S99zeCiuPW42x0s7ORIhjaqyp5_6-vfihgFh4JCCTHqJrys-fxv-mFvAYXPxyaLQnWzvpv21L_P3MX12yk8jgoqAt/s400/IMG_1249.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackboard!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our waiter was very enthusiastic and animated and happily bustled about serving us our drinks to start. I ordered a chai latte and was slightly upset that it wasn't served in a teapot. But still, it was good chai - I can't complain. The others had the coffee, which is apparently pretty good. So after my chai, I had a <i>weak</i> flat white. I can appreciate that the coffee was good (well-roasted, good source? I have not idea how to describe good coffee apart from saying that it tasted good..) Despite it being a weak flat white, it was still too strong for me. Talk about unnecessary energy... and no outlet for it...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Cedw0vhIxLEiw87xe7nugeXlHwL3LatRs09H3twSq-oS2EPce3bkVX4CW2Auy7qlo1D7AutiqtrD9I8pjra4j1aj896mQkwwXOqy9DFe4JhkqedViq0o5Hf77H1-CeqoVlNX2krtDkp4/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Cedw0vhIxLEiw87xe7nugeXlHwL3LatRs09H3twSq-oS2EPce3bkVX4CW2Auy7qlo1D7AutiqtrD9I8pjra4j1aj896mQkwwXOqy9DFe4JhkqedViq0o5Hf77H1-CeqoVlNX2krtDkp4/s320/IMG_1252.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Chai Latte</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
MK was running late but still managed to get there before our food was served. She ordered her heirloom tomatoes, avocado and feta on toast, and it was served before all our orders, that we had put in a good 20 minutes before she'd arrived! After picking each and every piece of tomato out of the amalgamation of vegie and cheese, she finally commenced her eating. I was slightly upset that our super-efficient and dedicated waiter cleared her plate so quickly that I didn't get the chance to eat the tomatoes that were left in a neat pile on her plate!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy2nvf2wa8UOZ7rkbE8XsVqZDIRK8cBWeC5TDkMD2MnzTpNlf6cNYDztMYQqAdKLHSghqdW9rbTU8LmgVNOCC709yPNuM47KXhHGz_UCEIOx0ByvDAZ-Qki1bcgytM42G-eA2jNXga48z/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy2nvf2wa8UOZ7rkbE8XsVqZDIRK8cBWeC5TDkMD2MnzTpNlf6cNYDztMYQqAdKLHSghqdW9rbTU8LmgVNOCC709yPNuM47KXhHGz_UCEIOx0ByvDAZ-Qki1bcgytM42G-eA2jNXga48z/s400/IMG_1254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avocado, heirloom tomatoes and feta on toast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My other 3 BCBs - BL, DS and EP - ordered the potato hash, a dish that is one of the most popular at this joint. I opted not to order it for my meal because it was served with a sauce called "bagna cauda" which is made from garlic, olive oil, butter and anchovies. I'm <strike>a bit</strike> very fussy about anchovies... The only ones I eat are the deep-fried salted and dried anchovies called "ikan bilis" in Malay. To be fair, I tried a bit of DS' bagna cauda and found it to be quite tasty. Just not really my thing though. It kinda reminded me of the unfortunate time that my mother had made ikan bilis soup (blegh!) and I had no choice but to consume it... :s But the others really enjoyed the hash and everything it came with - so it was obviously a winner! Another dead giveaway as to the quality of the food was the fact that our whole table was silent when the food arrived - being the foodies we are, we were just revelling in the haze of awesome tastiness that was the dish that had been placed in front of each of us. (That, and also, we were absolutely famished!)<br />
<br />
I ordered the pork belly sandwich instead. It was pretty darn tasty! Loved the flavour combination of the sweet and smokey paprika, with the slightly charred pork belly, and the salty and slightly tangy aioli. The sandwich bread was also very, very yummy. So gooood :) It filled me up from 12pm all the way to 7pm!! (Yes, I have a fairly small stomach. I know.)<br />
<br />
Overall, a very good start for the Breakfast Club! I think it's fair to say that everyone really enjoyed the meeting, company and the food (and coffee). Success!! :D<br />
<br />
Stay tuned - a post about our second BC meeting is coming soon!! :) :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFVHVSVfkgC8ej3TTwdVsKnvglyGKDF-FexIdNOzaNhR9c8dcB_1TWFkI2kOKl0FVcPORsKilWpoHIPyTR1bTVg8R0OxzNfRJAK1xUR8CWqBxwUoX4df4Ey1-BD2GGSukjxdwGvlC_8io/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFVHVSVfkgC8ej3TTwdVsKnvglyGKDF-FexIdNOzaNhR9c8dcB_1TWFkI2kOKl0FVcPORsKilWpoHIPyTR1bTVg8R0OxzNfRJAK1xUR8CWqBxwUoX4df4Ey1-BD2GGSukjxdwGvlC_8io/s400/IMG_1255.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato hash, poached egg, bacon, spinach and bagna cauda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMxzfV-PEwJ6za3PGenCYlakPDKF0BTmZ-tA16hwlbdIKiXFf7OuNH3yps3i8b9aGPJGjEYuT1sKgGEw0tMffdytm6Hzp2LRueHdBGz1-8SiRurltOSKthMATWj0lx_N1kZNChsbkTw3E/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMxzfV-PEwJ6za3PGenCYlakPDKF0BTmZ-tA16hwlbdIKiXFf7OuNH3yps3i8b9aGPJGjEYuT1sKgGEw0tMffdytm6Hzp2LRueHdBGz1-8SiRurltOSKthMATWj0lx_N1kZNChsbkTw3E/s400/IMG_1257.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork belly, smoked paprika relish and aioli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1495711/restaurant/Melbourne/Proud-Mary-Collingwood"><img alt="Proud Mary on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1495711/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-11020520568176878242012-04-28T00:58:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:02:52.969-07:00Melbourne Through Fresh Eyes #2<u><b>Burch & Purchese, Chapel Street, South Yarra </b></u><br />
<br />
We
trekked down to Chapel Street to visit Burch & Purchese because I
insisted that my sister just HAD to try their desserts (and also, it was
on Masterchef!).<br />
<br />
My sister apparently doesn't like ginger in desserts (amongst other things), so we couldn't have the awesome-looking green-themed piece of (dessert) art that I so badly wanted to try, the COCONUT | GINGER | PASSIONFRUIT |
MINT - coconut mousse | passionfruit curd |
coconut caviar | passionfruit jelly | salted oat & ginger
crumble | white chocolate mint wafer | ginger macaroon | brilliant
white chocolate spray. To be fair, I've tried it before, but wanted to have it again! Another time then.<br />
<br />
Instead we tried the more conservative chocolate, mandarin and salted caramel "dessert thing" (Burch and Purchese never actually say what the dessert is, only what flavours are in them...) and the RASPBERRY, WHITE CHOCOLATE, HONEY,
LYCHEE - white chocolate & raspberry
mousse | raspberry & lychee jelly | museli & honey nut
sponge | raspberry & hibiscus jam | honey lychee syrup |
exaggerated raspberry cream | chocolate velvet spray.<br />
<br />
See what I mean?<br />
<br />
Funny :p<br />
<br />
Had our desserts at the Alexandra Gardens in true Melbournian fashion. Both were very good, too much to have together in one meal though. But that's just me and my moderate (eating) ways.<br />
<br />
Sorry for the lack of photos - my sister has them and she's not the best at sharing them! :D Go to the <a href="http://burchandpurchese.com/" target="_blank">Burch and Purchese website</a> to see their photos instead.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1589023/restaurant/Melbourne/South-Yarra-Toorak/Burch-Purchese-Sweet-Studio-South-Yarra"><img alt="Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1589023/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-55490887583984093482012-04-28T00:32:00.001-07:002012-05-28T06:02:52.973-07:00Melbourne Through Fresh Eyes #1I love showing people around Melbourne - taking them to my favourite food haunts, chilling in my favourite parks, ogling at my favourite buildings. And that's just what I did when my sister came to visit last week - we literally ate our way across the city, and spent the rest of the time either digesting all that food we'd eaten or absorbing the ambience of all the wonderful places we had visited.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch at De Clieu, Gertrude Street, Fitzroy</u></b><br />
<br />
First food experience! I've personally been wanting to properly sample De Clieu's food properly since the last time I was there, I was too full to have anything more than a cup of coffee. So naturally, it was the perfect opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone, so to speak - show my sister one of Fitzroy's most famous cafés and get a chance to finally sample their food for myself :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfMvxZ5YXUV2OsdUlm5EGTDO_p9_26pxkGxUCVN6PocqgqeDj69WtuajJ_qYVtPbeDV56ry6C1q5LEKIPWblJUe6TIaXp6kDZikroUihMZe4aGuxvQeGqWdZb9VoYlVhyphenhyphenBsI7cjl8jTw0/s1600/IMG_1259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfMvxZ5YXUV2OsdUlm5EGTDO_p9_26pxkGxUCVN6PocqgqeDj69WtuajJ_qYVtPbeDV56ry6C1q5LEKIPWblJUe6TIaXp6kDZikroUihMZe4aGuxvQeGqWdZb9VoYlVhyphenhyphenBsI7cjl8jTw0/s400/IMG_1259.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caramelised pork neck and fried egg on roti - how pretty does it look?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ0yO4d7Ck8g7o_FCNX6F9hNJTP7vL20yBu9R5CysMhIn0m7pncmIag-JdWI6D3IWmU-Sgnw3-3i1J59qYbslCPsuptXiDzVd1pjnS6eEYUfFdZDZmlR5oddO9G10YAZDYgqIRKYxVzaz/s1600/IMG_1260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ0yO4d7Ck8g7o_FCNX6F9hNJTP7vL20yBu9R5CysMhIn0m7pncmIag-JdWI6D3IWmU-Sgnw3-3i1J59qYbslCPsuptXiDzVd1pjnS6eEYUfFdZDZmlR5oddO9G10YAZDYgqIRKYxVzaz/s400/IMG_1260.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heirloom tomatoes, avocado and buffalo mozzarella on toast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We managed to get a spot inside, right by a large window, with lots of sunlight shining through and a cool breeze keeping us nice and fresh, countering the heat from the sun.<br />
<br />
The food was amazing - simple, fresh, and oh-so-tasty. One of my friends had the cured kingfish on toast, I had the tomatoes, mozzarella and avocado on toast, and my sister had the pork neck on roti. I liked how all their dishes were light and fresh - perfect food to have in the stiffling heat on that day! We all left De Clieu feeling just the right amount of full, and very satisfied with our experience :)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1552191/restaurant/Melbourne/Collingwood/De-Clieu-Fitzroy"><img alt="De Clieu on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1552191/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a> <b>
</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Vegie Bar (I LOVEEE VEGIE FOOD), Brunswick Street, Fitzroy</b></u> <br />
<br />
We then adjourned to the Vegie Bar on Brunswick Street for
some good 'ol vegetarian/vegan/gluten free smoothies and desserts. We
shared the sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream - it was a mound
of soft, golden pudding, drizzled generously with caramel sauce and
perfectly complemented by 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream.<br />
<br />
I had to
try the Raw Shake (cacao, agave, and almond milk) - it was
interesting... All the health food freaks out there would absolutely
LOVE it. I found that the almond bits were a bit annoying - they kept
getting stuck in my throat, but overall really enjoyed how healthy the
shake tasted. It is probably the most guilt-free drink I've ever had in my life (apart from good ol' H20)!<br />
<br />
I would love to go back and try their other food someday - it sounds like my cup of tea :D<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761984/restaurant/Melbourne/Vegie-Bar-Fitzroy"><img alt="Vegie Bar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761984/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-91898233036292765012012-04-28T00:32:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:06:09.027-07:00Melbourne Through Fresh Eyes #3<u><b>The South Melbourne Experience - Brunch at Dead Man Espresso, followed by Dessert at Chez Dre = BLISS</b></u><br />
<br />
<i>Meal #1: Brunch @ Dead Man Espresso </i><br />
<br />
Deadman's was the setting of probably one of my first few brunch experiences in Melbourne a good 4+ years back. I love the setup of the place, and the outdoor dining area at the front of the cafe with the high stools and wooden counters facing the street.<br />
<br />
To be completely honest, the dish I had ordered (pork sausage et al) didn't really stand out for me - it was good, but was just missing <i>something</i> (I'm not entirely sure what). Having said that, the grilled bread was amazing. I love bread, and I love grilled food. Thus naturally, I loved the grilled bread. (There's some simple mathematical logic for you!) And the heirloom tomatoes were very yummy. I think the let down for me was the pork sausage that could have been a bit more exciting in terms of flavour..<br />
<br />
JWT had the pork belly BLT which is apparently always superly duperly finger-lickingly, lip-smackingly good. And the gazpacho is apparently equally tasty. I trust his verdict - we have similar standards when it comes to food :)<br />
<br />
My sister had the herbed rosti - she seemed pretty content with it, so I think it's safe to say that it was probably pretty good, but not mind-blowing. Too harsh?<br />
<br />
Apparently the coffee here is amazing, but I wouldn't know - I had the chai tea :D JWT had a glass of "Magic" that was apparently quite magical..<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifR0jogxM6BkPB1ho9u_v6KJTS19huGbr4crIfrnAAX__sTxpTSZMPGUbO07k5UYAwRXIwIh0e_J4BcV3eXHnU70WeXbDzIQv5t6OtnwUed7fkBdyMkwYPwueXByd2BCsChxYhGJQt2RYP/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifR0jogxM6BkPB1ho9u_v6KJTS19huGbr4crIfrnAAX__sTxpTSZMPGUbO07k5UYAwRXIwIh0e_J4BcV3eXHnU70WeXbDzIQv5t6OtnwUed7fkBdyMkwYPwueXByd2BCsChxYhGJQt2RYP/s400/IMG_1264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herbed rosti with poached egg, avocado and bacon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewG0YPdSeynTgrpKVS8jvfHOSURxRE7wm_ZZl1Vy6YjLmn-xFRRr0Qy_XsjNg6RScRcRy2LcoobZZJOgc_fN91lUfzxdaJ3tDde5qrohtwnJqRfwoUIi-q1p-F5QBIb9tC1i8OyY8oTZS/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewG0YPdSeynTgrpKVS8jvfHOSURxRE7wm_ZZl1Vy6YjLmn-xFRRr0Qy_XsjNg6RScRcRy2LcoobZZJOgc_fN91lUfzxdaJ3tDde5qrohtwnJqRfwoUIi-q1p-F5QBIb9tC1i8OyY8oTZS/s400/IMG_1265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork belly BLT with gazpacho</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd_27M7lTv_ydpCwjRmQMri4seg357Q9GRMA8Wp5Ov_KrUB_ux8Zmu3u4g_4LVoaHOUmWm0GjqgunyUgpIuPWGxgaEVYa65C6RR13IoR7PpoafayUjoNegXJfx0uJNV5LFhF8hOj8WuXN/s1600/IMG_1266.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd_27M7lTv_ydpCwjRmQMri4seg357Q9GRMA8Wp5Ov_KrUB_ux8Zmu3u4g_4LVoaHOUmWm0GjqgunyUgpIuPWGxgaEVYa65C6RR13IoR7PpoafayUjoNegXJfx0uJNV5LFhF8hOj8WuXN/s400/IMG_1266.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork sausage, tomato, basil and poached egg on grilled bread</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1481230/restaurant/South-Melbourne/Dead-Man-Espresso-Melbourne"><img alt="Dead Man Espresso on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1481230/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>
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<i>Meal #2: Dessert @ Chez Dre </i><br />
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After our delightful brunch experience, we strolled down to Chez Dre. (I love how the two places were close enough to permit us to literally "stroll down" from one to the other).<br />
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I absolutely love looking at the desserts on display at Chez Dre. They really do make them very pretty, and display them very well.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiJx-hyC3MvJ1MtVqfQ63MFlRpd7CcFeFTtTEDdg9AQedWx3rJX-bfIhadz7OxabtYgFUVh9mKkxLgA69UwFyCaS7_aKX3jwxLymScqf5oVjopNlfEBgPRtG4bfEqEyahkzG1fDTuPXfo/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiJx-hyC3MvJ1MtVqfQ63MFlRpd7CcFeFTtTEDdg9AQedWx3rJX-bfIhadz7OxabtYgFUVh9mKkxLgA69UwFyCaS7_aKX3jwxLymScqf5oVjopNlfEBgPRtG4bfEqEyahkzG1fDTuPXfo/s400/IMG_1267.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sooooo many desserts, soooo little space in my tummy!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazJyY18oMuNs4MLnTrn3M5b4fcUu7NKuR3vhRnGugHt-fR4heYYHOCP4R8Jqq53hP4B-gtpt489-aIebZMciVXepMjzSVeU3dA_LVTPyBE8kKrNnR1WVCIU1XPJbf0XSUj9NK1SgbKYcO/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazJyY18oMuNs4MLnTrn3M5b4fcUu7NKuR3vhRnGugHt-fR4heYYHOCP4R8Jqq53hP4B-gtpt489-aIebZMciVXepMjzSVeU3dA_LVTPyBE8kKrNnR1WVCIU1XPJbf0XSUj9NK1SgbKYcO/s400/IMG_1268.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eye candy - pun intended</td></tr>
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I also love the fact that it's a converted warehouse, and has an outdoor garden-style dining area.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1knZIvUvMYEtZPOBQpkHOnDYRJ_usDLA77gJfXUBfMQH1Jd5BIi2wxRAYcedZJVQSBGHj49UEj_ByVI_xi9aPSPAY9_DKxLdG8nphKTY2rnDoPwfKqDWqJjS9wMZU3_R0SrnlW8wnh9w/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1knZIvUvMYEtZPOBQpkHOnDYRJ_usDLA77gJfXUBfMQH1Jd5BIi2wxRAYcedZJVQSBGHj49UEj_ByVI_xi9aPSPAY9_DKxLdG8nphKTY2rnDoPwfKqDWqJjS9wMZU3_R0SrnlW8wnh9w/s400/IMG_1269.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior of Chez Dre</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9WwcEf6NDTmE78bCtqjgXDDo1v67IH6p7fRlMbHTRAXgmHSr-X1N_sKEJMLgpcm-4T1fpNZ63C9ecvvIuX_BxCeOoNPGj2ERZKVc8i0iQqIcizZ7dGllH5Qi5p38W0AGhYaQhrmEJmkr/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9WwcEf6NDTmE78bCtqjgXDDo1v67IH6p7fRlMbHTRAXgmHSr-X1N_sKEJMLgpcm-4T1fpNZ63C9ecvvIuX_BxCeOoNPGj2ERZKVc8i0iQqIcizZ7dGllH5Qi5p38W0AGhYaQhrmEJmkr/s400/IMG_1270.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous outdoor dining area at Chez Dre</td></tr>
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My sister and I shared the salted caramel eclair and the jasmine tea crème. Both were truly amazing. I'd heard pretty good reviews about the desserts here, but never allowed myself to form any expectations until I had a chance to sample some of them for myself. And boy was I impressed!<br />
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Everything about each dessert was perfect - from the presentation, to the textures, to the flavour combinations. *Sigh*. I was in dessert heaven. The salted caramel eclairs were salty, sweet, soft, crunchy and gooey all in one! It had walnuts in it. Yum. The jasmine tea crème was a fondant-shaped chocolate mousse structure with a jasmine tea flavoured cream centre. Who would have thought that jasmine tea and chocolate would go so well together. My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />
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All in all, I would highly recommend Chez Dre if you are looking for a place to have amazing dessert, in an equally amazing setting.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1589178/restaurant/Melbourne/Chez-Dre-South-Melbourne"><img alt="Chez Dré on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1589178/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-26852363814557190912012-03-31T02:46:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:08:34.756-07:00A Place Called "Home"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Home is a Thai restaurant in Sydney, that I'd heard good things about and decided to check out whilst I was there a few weeks back.<br />
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I liked how they have their kitchen out near the front of the restaurant, and while waiting for a table, you can watch the kitchen staff prepare the food. They have a large selection of Thai food on offer - I had trouble picking just one dish for my meal!<br />
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To my delight, I noticed that they served mango with sticky rice!!! My FAVOURITE Thai dessert. No points for guessing what I had for dessert then :)<br />
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Had the Thai fish cakes ($8.90) as an entree, the seafood pad thai ($12.90) for my main meal, and the mango with sticky rice for dessert (I think it was $6.50). My stomach was filled to the point of exploding by the end of the meal (probably from expecting 3 food babies - food triplets). Still I was very happy and very satisfied :)<br />
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Initially I was told that they had run out of mangoes and so weren't serving the mango with sticky rice any more. I felt like a part of me had died. But then midway through my pad thai, the waiter happily announced that they had mangoes again! So my sticky rice dessert was back on the cards :) Yay!! Fate had reunited me with my mango with sticky rice.<br />
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The pad thai whilst tasty, was not the best that I've ever tasted. I still really liked it though. I liked that they served the chilli, sugar and peanuts separately on the side, just like they do in Thailand! The fish cakes were very yummy. And the mango with sticky rice - LOVED it! I haven't been able to find a Thai restaurant in Melbourne that serves it. Was over the moon that they served it at Home.<br />
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Very reasonably priced, tasty, with fast service. I highly recommend it. Only thing is that you need to set aside at least 30 minutes to wait for a table... Or try rocking up before 6pm.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_RoQz0bLc0o5YXJMW71GUwUUQZ3fZtbxtRdXiB4mUejtHPX4CxX7fDV6nVMNgKYMSIP_eXY29oM5E9ueeBA1LOmmj-KKy6KS0tq8w6UmBqMz-knEhDxnmDzn3LYTbQZqslPE4qNa-pei/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_RoQz0bLc0o5YXJMW71GUwUUQZ3fZtbxtRdXiB4mUejtHPX4CxX7fDV6nVMNgKYMSIP_eXY29oM5E9ueeBA1LOmmj-KKy6KS0tq8w6UmBqMz-knEhDxnmDzn3LYTbQZqslPE4qNa-pei/s400/IMG_1239.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thai fish cakes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1msQ_r3aMfg92tZwR4bRTexMLnvWqYdwQcufnPgqNV0yX6IjCm536a-ikKoWG0v960ahlPCFnTqi8dmLGDyUxnFZbFUyYVvMwFV7nocYQ5KIhEhewYtPTl9y2nbW5RDnp2eDa1Ju-NLH/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1msQ_r3aMfg92tZwR4bRTexMLnvWqYdwQcufnPgqNV0yX6IjCm536a-ikKoWG0v960ahlPCFnTqi8dmLGDyUxnFZbFUyYVvMwFV7nocYQ5KIhEhewYtPTl9y2nbW5RDnp2eDa1Ju-NLH/s400/IMG_1241.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood pad thai</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIqommUkDU17q07csmQeKUFg7bm8ASrhlSCqspsxEEabiCPU51juQIpVsE8Z0ZE5HmTaSJ1KJX5uM1AczCDht_kRhmOtFlHt4KjPeWRefhfB-zFBiIzuKyt1I_-W9LXTE6wAbXFgauC0A/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIqommUkDU17q07csmQeKUFg7bm8ASrhlSCqspsxEEabiCPU51juQIpVsE8Z0ZE5HmTaSJ1KJX5uM1AczCDht_kRhmOtFlHt4KjPeWRefhfB-zFBiIzuKyt1I_-W9LXTE6wAbXFgauC0A/s400/IMG_1242.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango with sticky rice!!! :D</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/1543212/restaurant/CBD/Home-Thai-Restaurant-Sydney"><img alt="Home Thai Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1543212/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com10299 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia-33.8746228 151.20429130000002-33.874623799999995 151.20427980000002 -33.8746218 151.20430280000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-35679421858470031602012-03-31T02:17:00.002-07:002012-05-28T06:03:34.518-07:00Makoto - Best Sushi Train Ever!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Makoto is the sister restaurant of Masuya (also in Sydney). I had the chance to check it out when I was in Sydney for a few days for work, and managed to squeeze in a dinner with my cousin who works in Sydney and recommended the place.<br />
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Words cannot express how happy I am that I had the chance to sample some of its delectable offerings!<br />
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The seared salmon sushi (in the first photo) is definitely my favourite. I could probably eat 5 plates of it and be very content :) It had this amazing smokiness to it, and when coupled with the awesome sweet soy sauce that had been sprinkled over it, produced this highly satisfactory burst of flavour. Oh man so good.<br />
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Had 10 plates of sushi between the 2 of us, and the bill came to $40. I'd happily pay that same amount again for that quality of food. I highly recommend this place if you like Japanese food, and happen to be in Sydney.<br />
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The food photos speak for themselves, so for once, I shall not say much more :) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNs1nYEjnX-TflQvnTvjLk_-oSbw-docOerm7Zp0n0HaeD4xWJ8_eNSAxqnD9o-g1W152keToyOEfjt47wbEzMiOb3XLvpLPwkkkeThL5jSTHVWfa4E8ATwPrhqWsYdwx5q5maLw6kM9B/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNs1nYEjnX-TflQvnTvjLk_-oSbw-docOerm7Zp0n0HaeD4xWJ8_eNSAxqnD9o-g1W152keToyOEfjt47wbEzMiOb3XLvpLPwkkkeThL5jSTHVWfa4E8ATwPrhqWsYdwx5q5maLw6kM9B/s400/IMG_1233.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seared salmon sushi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZDbKaB988rkLehktgpM-cSwB6FRpdCOervLf8bMLrmsvL7hzSRKNoWRndQ82fr8-bV2D8nff9te6kGk7ZE5EFR04p-qLWbmnwMuzi1wTIlPwZ0G-8t89HYgW39hG7eHXSsrJDDfKGGWr/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZDbKaB988rkLehktgpM-cSwB6FRpdCOervLf8bMLrmsvL7hzSRKNoWRndQ82fr8-bV2D8nff9te6kGk7ZE5EFR04p-qLWbmnwMuzi1wTIlPwZ0G-8t89HYgW39hG7eHXSsrJDDfKGGWr/s400/IMG_1234.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuna</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuC4VR8ATdXh4GFd4PA24c_GkIFSlVVSNsiM2uxfyDh4XSLKYnnSX2CX2ZpgDhY4E0QECIQj-ttrnt5nDCKesGj68L4GbDaY4MWnsl2g75XGmH_UTV462x18HsnUdaT17F2KWgJXme4Kb/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuC4VR8ATdXh4GFd4PA24c_GkIFSlVVSNsiM2uxfyDh4XSLKYnnSX2CX2ZpgDhY4E0QECIQj-ttrnt5nDCKesGj68L4GbDaY4MWnsl2g75XGmH_UTV462x18HsnUdaT17F2KWgJXme4Kb/s400/IMG_1235.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abalone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpqdzLdyr4beUANzLSzXf9HYNq3XndTFMtA0uwuXNvvTd90xz79CJCtO2EXXrVWizYM1FuybgaBWLA-AeQlm4S7qDV_5i4c3EN7Kbkb5wLXETMCl9tdpcshNE9HfiXu-95SxsJ_6k0nre/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpqdzLdyr4beUANzLSzXf9HYNq3XndTFMtA0uwuXNvvTd90xz79CJCtO2EXXrVWizYM1FuybgaBWLA-AeQlm4S7qDV_5i4c3EN7Kbkb5wLXETMCl9tdpcshNE9HfiXu-95SxsJ_6k0nre/s400/IMG_1236.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seared scallops - almost as good as the salmon version!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/751419/restaurant/CBD/Makoto-Sydney"><img alt="Makoto on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/751419/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com1119 Liverpool St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia-33.8758253 151.205241-68.9096988 91.439616 1.1580481999999961 -149.029134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-3007718559063269512012-03-31T02:02:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:04:31.338-07:00MissChu Tuckshop, Melbourne CBD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like many other things in my life, this post is long overdue. Trying to clear my backlog of posts now :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc12JyGVfDWorNiJuEDP4eunuUYpCzXqHGPHySS9bbI68Rao54thJGv5IumneX7s0QDGp5MnSMZoVTcjOPeB_5qxbe7nqF7CDzvsylz1TFIcg2HkVSd5HxqkVKp-Lt02zGrFNzQAoSZbL2/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc12JyGVfDWorNiJuEDP4eunuUYpCzXqHGPHySS9bbI68Rao54thJGv5IumneX7s0QDGp5MnSMZoVTcjOPeB_5qxbe7nqF7CDzvsylz1TFIcg2HkVSd5HxqkVKp-Lt02zGrFNzQAoSZbL2/s400/IMG_1221.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But anyway, a few weeks (*ahem* months) back, I FINALLY had a reason to check out Miss Chu's. Being a mere stone's throw from where I live, it's quite surprising that I never ventured into this little so-called tuck shop that has been much talked-about in the Melbourne food circles.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shop itself is very quirky in a classic, olden-day, Vietnamese fashion with large monochrome pictures plastered over the walls, little wooden stools and tables filling the space, and dome shaped light hoods swinging lazily from the ceiling. The outdoor eating area at the front of the restaurant is also a very nice place to sit and enjoy a meal, weather permitting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ordering system is fairly unique to this part of the world - you indicate the number of serves of each item you would like on a little "order-form" and pass it to the waiter when you're done. It's fairly non-intrusive which might appeal to some people. I personally don't mind either way, as long as my orders are noted correctly!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Started off with the rice paper rolls that this place is apparently famous for. We had the roast duck and banana flower rice paper rolls ($8 for two rolls). It was served in a little cardboard take-away container with dipping sauce in a little plastic bottle on the side. Interesting... Would've preferred having it served the usual way, i.e. on a plate, but this wasn't too bad. The rice paper rolls themselves were tasty, but could've had more duck in them - it seemed like it was packed with lots of vermicelli, some vegetables and herbs, and a sprinkling of duck. I may be exaggerating slightly here, but I was quite disappointed at having been charged $8 for 2 rolls that had barely any duck in them. Tsk tsk tsk.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLO_Os7cd6XXaJVMfqY6url7rUcMPTlJ256CSKpmgqusoSkzS9UH9GFqhDiHlGfOZl1vvMXL-rRvXfIIaLvxnqX0nKiBgdDJ3sXtASfNsX1Pj5QJ8sqjOYQwJ5YVU2sVBEkCzhYJo7_Rdq/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLO_Os7cd6XXaJVMfqY6url7rUcMPTlJ256CSKpmgqusoSkzS9UH9GFqhDiHlGfOZl1vvMXL-rRvXfIIaLvxnqX0nKiBgdDJ3sXtASfNsX1Pj5QJ8sqjOYQwJ5YVU2sVBEkCzhYJo7_Rdq/s400/IMG_1222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice paper rolls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To drink I ordered the genmaicha (green tea with roasted brown rice), and my dinner companion ordered an interesting shaved ice drink with coconut, banana and mint... LOVED my genmaicha, but thought the other drink was a bit of a weird combo. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ19FMpnXy0ykGwEA04xhITLmoOTRUbm5vQ1eNS2fvEI189raYJeqoVUUjDmLwYLuzQP7y5IRoPkxI8B1VybSjzDDFfflDEdeQ5UNad4CqfwA731Ayv6hwFXn7JD5_pyD1Q7vCblsaMNlt/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ19FMpnXy0ykGwEA04xhITLmoOTRUbm5vQ1eNS2fvEI189raYJeqoVUUjDmLwYLuzQP7y5IRoPkxI8B1VybSjzDDFfflDEdeQ5UNad4CqfwA731Ayv6hwFXn7JD5_pyD1Q7vCblsaMNlt/s400/IMG_1223.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut, banana and mint drink</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next we had the Traditional Pork Hanoi deep fried spring rolls. These were soooo yummy! I actually ended up eating them with with the dipping sauce we were served for the earlier rice paper rolls, rather than its intended dipping sauce, coz I liked the first sauce more. Bite-sized rolls that seemed to be singing in their wonderful, golden, deep-fried glory.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWdFA0_h4x-CB7DwIn8Fq7gI9ZbF9Qx-PmLjg8UjJxd1ArBaQd-ns-Usz5uEx5HRe2iL3PzZyZwrWF5l_js4FJso86uli21F2EMahA_J7njUhSTPu0WfBVzK3aN1TL4m9TQWV8iwq0WmQ/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWdFA0_h4x-CB7DwIn8Fq7gI9ZbF9Qx-PmLjg8UjJxd1ArBaQd-ns-Usz5uEx5HRe2iL3PzZyZwrWF5l_js4FJso86uli21F2EMahA_J7njUhSTPu0WfBVzK3aN1TL4m9TQWV8iwq0WmQ/s400/IMG_1224.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork spring rolls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After we had the Prawn and Crab Net spring roll warm vermicelli salad. This was definitely the highlight of the meal (once we'd added some extra diced chilli in). Sweet dressing, crunchy and fluffy spring rolls, soft vermicelli, fresh salad leaves, diced chilli, and fried garlic - the combination speaks for itself.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all a pleasant dining experience. The food could've done with a bit more punch though - it lacked the massive explosion of flavour found in other Asian eateries. But that's my personal preference.<br />
<br />
On a later visit, I tried the young coconut juice - it was a truly authentic South-East Asian experience, albeit served in a plastic cup instead of the traditional coconut. Definitely worth a try! </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yf0bUdn6FHO3MZdqjldADDlp7qqF_nPkM5U6jJ8cpV5BXy0B0Ew9Sy-DDPaMfescZLCti-vvNrgzTi_TKcrQhMgo8j53pIeVhabnH3CF2REKyNOley5H0PhWSGi0KuRCnhSuNDjLWatM/s1600/IMG_1226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yf0bUdn6FHO3MZdqjldADDlp7qqF_nPkM5U6jJ8cpV5BXy0B0Ew9Sy-DDPaMfescZLCti-vvNrgzTi_TKcrQhMgo8j53pIeVhabnH3CF2REKyNOley5H0PhWSGi0KuRCnhSuNDjLWatM/s400/IMG_1226.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prawn and crab net spring roll vermicelli salad</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1574505/restaurant/CBD/MissChu-Melbourne"><img alt="MissChu on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1574505/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com02/297 Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8088627 144.96877429999995-71.5182337 85.20314929999995 -4.0994917000000015 -155.26560070000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-46869384295866675062012-03-02T16:15:00.001-08:002012-05-28T05:51:33.322-07:00Cumulus Inc. - Where (food) storms brew...<div style="text-align: left;">Checked out Cumulus Inc. with G-dawg one Sunday evening. And boy did it kick up one hell of a (food) storm! We went there quite early - around 5.30pm, and it was already getting full! Luckily there were still a few spots free, so we got a table immediately. I must say I loved how warm and friendly the floor staff were.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>The dishes on their a la carte menu are meant to be shared (which works for me because this way I get to sample more dishes!). So we ordered a few to share starting with the grilled octopus, smoked paprika and basil. YUM! I loved the colours of this dish - red, green, yellow - and the little pieces of octopus were served with lots of olive oil and balsamic vinegar - perfect with bread! The octopus itself was cooked just right and wasn't too chewy. I did find that it was a tad bit salty, but the dish as a whole tasted so good that I was willing to overlook this little miscalculation. The perfect entree to get the saliva glands working :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNioAjcbvPS6WFQ4NcHGX2A335m4K90iMYAK1DpaZcgawWxCOSKQWmX_MzHWryxtrcKlE7VrAXf4Ud8YFma6fqxR-fPCbqYXY7O-L4ANkXjvukmxUYrG4fnCT6CpYHbMGkxzXUBXa5XpqO/s400/IMG_1207.JPG" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled octopus, smoked paprika and basil</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Next we had the foie gras parfait with toasted brioche. The parfait was perfect! And it was served sprinkled artistically with raisins, crushed pistachio, and baby watercress - sweet, crunchy and fresh complements to the parfait. The brioche toast was equally amazing - soft and fluffy on the inside and , and the 2 put together produced one awesome explosion of flavour in my mouth. The waitress serving us was also nice enough to give us extra brioche at no extra charge to go with the leftover parfait we had after consuming the initial 4 slices of brioche. (I also love toast!)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRtysLtcDdjvjtaC6dFS73CupVYSbvT1EPRGNru6PEPcwxT-L9_ky7fUP1oyP42-pMZBBKvrosx6-gOn4JLjoN43lvni03GLVxJU45XwIjTi2-UL7TezlYCkxS2lRWmI8TZPXF1da2FU_/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRtysLtcDdjvjtaC6dFS73CupVYSbvT1EPRGNru6PEPcwxT-L9_ky7fUP1oyP42-pMZBBKvrosx6-gOn4JLjoN43lvni03GLVxJU45XwIjTi2-UL7TezlYCkxS2lRWmI8TZPXF1da2FU_/s400/IMG_1210.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foie gras parfait</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JjL-EXLnjvmuMUXeLshtK_wJkPtqcvT1I7CN2rS4Rk4mkxhqgC1evdmXky3WcQQoAhkw5Jwhnj9Fiu_41M_Zz6wB8sX0GQ_rJTytMJwympFysZ_0lu1VsEIVFVYTDVZLp3FUkVaO_GFV/s1600/IMG_1208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JjL-EXLnjvmuMUXeLshtK_wJkPtqcvT1I7CN2rS4Rk4mkxhqgC1evdmXky3WcQQoAhkw5Jwhnj9Fiu_41M_Zz6wB8sX0GQ_rJTytMJwympFysZ_0lu1VsEIVFVYTDVZLp3FUkVaO_GFV/s400/IMG_1208.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brioche toast to go with the foie gras parfait </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lastly, we ordered the roast duck breast on a bed of grains, lentils and plum and a tomato salad on the side. Being a lover of all things that quack, I thoroughly enjoyed the duck dish - again, cooked perfectly, so juicy and succulent, with a crispy and smoky roasted skin. The lentils and plum were a very good accompaniment and even though there were bits of celery hidden in that mixture, I didn't mind at all! Nothing was going to spoil my experience of this dish - not even my dislike for celery.<br />
<br />
The tomato salad was definitely a treat for the sense - bright, vibrant colours, oh-so-fresh, delicate flavours. I actually had the salad on its own after devouring the duck. The buffalo ricotta was an unbelievable mixture of slightly springy, slightly creamy and completely melt-in-your-mouth.<br />
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The bill came to around $78 for 2 people which is fairly reasonable given the quality of the produce and the experience as a whole. And it's also well within my new self-imposed budget of $50 or less for meals at "nice" restaurants. <br />
<br />
And can I say again that I loved the service at this place? Our departure from the restaurant was accompanied by a cheerful chorus of byes from the floor staff. Definitely will be returning to this place one day :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz3Bp7Uoe21cTFBHpl82gbuO-E8xdaHesUxraoKfXBo5vkyi_em8WCUlwQBtTPC8epm4patIuylRjJlzgNAXGqQkhAFhGkRlXQXMF-4SMKzORdxP0eNMIAuNDbn_HffhASVujF7mITN6D/s1600/IMG_1211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz3Bp7Uoe21cTFBHpl82gbuO-E8xdaHesUxraoKfXBo5vkyi_em8WCUlwQBtTPC8epm4patIuylRjJlzgNAXGqQkhAFhGkRlXQXMF-4SMKzORdxP0eNMIAuNDbn_HffhASVujF7mITN6D/s400/IMG_1211.JPG" width="400" /> </a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast Aylesbury duck breast, toasted grains, lentils and plum</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpvRMSanPwZES798XA2e3y7YrspOz7Ex2eFLiORMttfE7z5kJ-FQQqBpUqVonGEg4P_ICtBM95EoBUZA1VQUyUKuOse7c_PXjlAYShkHolWmU3k-fnk8ii3D4muvYxermwaOmTsTifESV/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpvRMSanPwZES798XA2e3y7YrspOz7Ex2eFLiORMttfE7z5kJ-FQQqBpUqVonGEg4P_ICtBM95EoBUZA1VQUyUKuOse7c_PXjlAYShkHolWmU3k-fnk8ii3D4muvYxermwaOmTsTifESV/s400/IMG_1212.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heirloom tomato salad, buffalo milk ricotta and Nolan's Road olive oil</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760535/restaurant/CBD/Cumulus-Inc-Melbourne"><img alt="Cumulus Inc. on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760535/biglink.gif" style="border:none;width:200px;height:146px" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com145 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8147596 144.97303290000002-71.5220181 85.207407900000021 -4.1075011 -155.26134209999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217831936165577069.post-1982817402221612382012-03-02T04:58:00.121-08:002012-05-28T06:09:00.480-07:00Mamasita Revisited<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaUGw5hdl6JGgNNbG6sRLe2UO0O0qI4xICOzSezNxpTLZWYofDwstamqvN__NMjtGEgrXxLxR16RsvyVXd9rphuGrsqcoKRQNSaSwdzzmKEIN9YgjBC2bFOIcsu0cFY3nI9qRIffPa4OL/s1600/IMAG0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaUGw5hdl6JGgNNbG6sRLe2UO0O0qI4xICOzSezNxpTLZWYofDwstamqvN__NMjtGEgrXxLxR16RsvyVXd9rphuGrsqcoKRQNSaSwdzzmKEIN9YgjBC2bFOIcsu0cFY3nI9qRIffPa4OL/s400/IMAG0254.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horchata</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Gave Mamasita a second chance a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised :) I'm not sure whether it was the fact that we were there for lunch and the atmosphere was significantly less hectic, or just that the kitchen had realised that standards were slipping and decided to pull up their socks but what an improvement compared to the last time I was there more than 1 year ago!<br />
<br />
Given that it was lunch on a work day, and I wasn't in the mood for anything with alcohol in it, we were recommended to try the "horchata" by the waiter who explained it to be a cloudy white-coloured, sweet drink made from rice... Ok... It sounded interesting enough and promising enough for me to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed :) It was very tasty and quite unique to any other drink I've ever had. My lunch buddies and I were very happy with our decision to try this drink. Definitely worth sampling if you're ever dining at Mamasita.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDwppbcYXqNHZUE00Kox8PS2IrFv2bvoLucENV2iZHD0jGX_5A8mHkRc1R63cs2cmc83nuVnOYH6bSl5hqbBeQcDXDbK_dLsUZrVqhl1qmQ5WfQ-9Ki8q4PEAUY1h-Su1eXuunPrrkmYd/s1600/IMAG0256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDwppbcYXqNHZUE00Kox8PS2IrFv2bvoLucENV2iZHD0jGX_5A8mHkRc1R63cs2cmc83nuVnOYH6bSl5hqbBeQcDXDbK_dLsUZrVqhl1qmQ5WfQ-9Ki8q4PEAUY1h-Su1eXuunPrrkmYd/s400/IMAG0256.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elotes callejeros - chargrilled corn, cheese,<br />
chipotle mayo and lime</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdF1bjt8mE-Jawv_Ax7O8YigY5bMknfbMQfeM25vxYz9uiLKopBUcjYc-WN9xZavni3I0kBoDK8oJq4opy4DRf08mSG3-VgF-EdLeilwLYCBrxhZZ4ghVPGfgdf9TSUjVB4YQgBtnlbnS/s1600/IMAG0255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdF1bjt8mE-Jawv_Ax7O8YigY5bMknfbMQfeM25vxYz9uiLKopBUcjYc-WN9xZavni3I0kBoDK8oJq4opy4DRf08mSG3-VgF-EdLeilwLYCBrxhZZ4ghVPGfgdf9TSUjVB4YQgBtnlbnS/s400/IMAG0255.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tostaditas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
To start, we ordered the "elotes callejeros" - basically grilled corn, topped with mayo, cheese, chilli and lime. I loved it. Well worth the slightly uncomfortable process of eating the corn straight off the cob, and the potentially awkward moment of getting some stuck between your teeth...<br />
<br />
Next, we ordered 2 sets of tostaditas - crab meat, avocado, cucumber, tamarind, mayo & habanero, and orange-cured venison, chilli, radish. The crab meat tostaditas were a winning combination. The venison tostaditas were tasty, but I found the texture of cured venison to be quite different to anything I was used to. But I still liked both tostaditas.<br />
<br />
Then we ordered the grilled fish tacos - very tasty! The seasoning was just my cup of tea, and the chunky onion, parsley, chilli and olive oil mixture that was served with it was the perfect accompaniment.<br />
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Next we had the chicken quesadillas - very tasty, but not a standout like the previous 3 dishes. Still it was very enjoyable.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQhVHKZb2KpZ8VBy4x5aMU9yfsANNV7tPeK7ac4ngWVT0zow9wurjY3bbQIsGr7Yfnp4HUHan37CPYBbepB13-VYtKpPQUG2aoT2n_T387sdz3CK4-7Ee2Q2YDkfH6kuPN8jf08H62khK/s1600/IMAG0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQhVHKZb2KpZ8VBy4x5aMU9yfsANNV7tPeK7ac4ngWVT0zow9wurjY3bbQIsGr7Yfnp4HUHan37CPYBbepB13-VYtKpPQUG2aoT2n_T387sdz3CK4-7Ee2Q2YDkfH6kuPN8jf08H62khK/s400/IMAG0257.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled fish, lime, achiote paste, red onion salsa & chipotle mayo tacos</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJP8gwmlem24cHPocW_nPCxQzdgblfvD5tDG1boolUM5IiVW-7BfYJLAsxHgg7xTSNqdOJVL_gPdg8lQjQPc2aA8FiSZ8MA_CQ-jKLQj30YTOqcBkieqdcRPL1Ajy6u8tfk1pBeCNVyiF/s1600/IMAG0258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJP8gwmlem24cHPocW_nPCxQzdgblfvD5tDG1boolUM5IiVW-7BfYJLAsxHgg7xTSNqdOJVL_gPdg8lQjQPc2aA8FiSZ8MA_CQ-jKLQj30YTOqcBkieqdcRPL1Ajy6u8tfk1pBeCNVyiF/s400/IMAG0258.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chargrilled chicken quesadillas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Next we had the snapper ceviche. Ceviche is made from fresh raw fish marinated in an acidic medium (usually lime juice) where the acidity of the juice cooks the fish. It is served chilled, usually with other condiments like onion, chilli and herbs. It is very refreshing and the texture of the fish is just right. The ceviche at Mamasita was very tasty - tangy, spicy and fresh. I really enjoyed it.<br />
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Finally, we had the roast duck breast with adobo sauce, pickled cherries and coriander. While the duck was cooked perfectly, it lacked proper seasoning - my lunch buddies and I found this dish to be quite bland. Kinda sad because it had the potential to be so amazing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGrnmakPsqxozEIEZHcZVm4G1mM5EvS9APsPFyw58N_RxCmQe4eD_YOJad7QoSVEtyUwx0iEWkiCmKosGX4AMgCBzZ2xGOkyFSDFa8d0vbx2OcjLjI011_sOMsi-W2mBO2ScvUJoH9-Hh/s1600/IMAG0259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGrnmakPsqxozEIEZHcZVm4G1mM5EvS9APsPFyw58N_RxCmQe4eD_YOJad7QoSVEtyUwx0iEWkiCmKosGX4AMgCBzZ2xGOkyFSDFa8d0vbx2OcjLjI011_sOMsi-W2mBO2ScvUJoH9-Hh/s400/IMAG0259.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snapper, tomato, olive, green chilli,<br />
lime and coriander ceviche</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Jp8BYr2jl6IT2TQegdwYim2Pz6zu-7oCFcxVlUrSgPSQPFZF9ZafaYFjE74o7rAPg-Y0WmdVvozhBYDWswigqvRGZ5baa_P2EMJqhOA5bFX0afOzJWdQ1iOIImX-AYo8hRc7stoZl83i/s1600/IMAG0260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Jp8BYr2jl6IT2TQegdwYim2Pz6zu-7oCFcxVlUrSgPSQPFZF9ZafaYFjE74o7rAPg-Y0WmdVvozhBYDWswigqvRGZ5baa_P2EMJqhOA5bFX0afOzJWdQ1iOIImX-AYo8hRc7stoZl83i/s400/IMAG0260.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted duck breast, red chilli adobo sauce,<br />
pickled cherries & coriander</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So, this lunch experience has given me newfound faith in Mamasita's food offerings. And lesson-learned: best to check this place out during lunchtime as it is less chaotic and noisy, which allows you to actually hear the other people at your table and have proper conversations. And try the Horchata! It's good :)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1507775/restaurant/CBD/Mamasita-Melbourne"><img alt="Mamasita on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1507775/biglink.gif" style="border:none;width:200px;height:146px" /></a>shobana s.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06589492717793898296noreply@blogger.com011 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8136681 144.97327710000002-71.5213176 85.207652100000018 -4.1060185999999987 -155.26109789999998