Curiosity is a funny thing, isn’t it? I’m not talking about the curiosity that makes you the gossip queen, the one that everyone goes to for news about their aunt’s sister’s mother’s grandfather’s best friend’s dog. I’m talking about the innate curiosity in all of us that is only satiated by random facts of knowledge and wisdom.

For example, I have always been curious about the history and design of the buildings in Melbourne and have gone a little above and beyond in sourcing out my information. So much so that, when a tourist drops in on me, I get all excited because I not only get to bring them on a mini-tour to take in the sights and sounds of Melbourne, but I get to use my random facts of the sights.

I get to say things like, “Did you know that the spire that sits above the Melbourne Arts Centre is inspired by the billowing of the ballerina’s tutu?” or as we pass by Melbourne’s tallest building, the Eureka Tower, “Did you know that the gold that glints off the top of those apartments are actual 24 carat gold plated glass panels?”

What I also love about Melbourne is its beauty of hidden gems and cafes situated along the many lane-ways that riddle around the matchbox-like CBD. 

Earlier this year, The Age launched a new marketing campaign showcasing that things aren’t always what they seem to be. With the tagline, Forever Curious, each of the different stories uncover fascinating insights to be discovered when scratched beneath the surface.

As part of this, The Age are creating a number of reader experiences to bring this campaign to life, using key topics (news, investigations, food & wine, arts & culture, entertainment, business and more) as starting points.

The first Forever Curious event took place on April 20, at the St Kilda vs Essendon AFL match after a clue was placed in the sports section of The Saturday Age. Those whose curiosity was aroused, acted on the clue and were rewarded with prizes ranging from footy scarves through to tickets to a corporate box complete with a surprise visit from Sean Dempster and Spencer White. 

The second Forever Curious event took place on Tuesday (7th of May) at SILO By Joost with Joost Bakker himself as well as Epicure’s Janne Apelgren and Larissa Dubecki taking part. SILO By Joost, Melbourne’s first bin-free café featured in the Forever Curious campaign to share SILO’s campaign against waste and awareness around sustainability.

A clue was placed in that Tuesday’s Epicure encouraging readers to visit Hardware Street in the CBD, whereupon they would see a man sitting on a stack of newspapers. All they had to do was whisper ‘Just a Cafe’ into his ear.

The resulting reward was a ticket that the winners took into SILO. The ticket entitled them to a free coffee, copy of the newspaper, a delicious vegetable baguette and a healthy muesli fig bar in a recycled brown paper bag, machine sewn by a friend of Joost’s! 

In a nod to the café’s ethos, the muesli bars were wrapped with bus and tram shelter “Just a Café” posters that SILO had recycled. Winners were also encouraged to chat to Janne, Larissa and Joost at a table out the front.

I sat down with the guys for a short while and had a great conversation with them about their thoughts on food, home grown vegetables and their thoughts on sustainability.

Larissa gave a good tip on what to do with vegetables that have been sitting around the pantry for a while and that are growing a bit old. Vegetables such as broccoli, pumpkins and potatoes can be turned into a hearty soup. Perfect for the winter season coming up!

It was nice to see that Joost’s passion on sustainability at work has been passed on to his staff at Silo. He explained how when he first opened SILO, soymilk wasn’t an option available to customers as it went against their ethos of using packaged product. They couldn’t get their suppliers to come to a mutual agreement on using sustainable delivery options and had given up on the soymilk option. 

When Joost next visited the café, a staff member of his proudly served Joost a soy based coffee, which led to some very stern remarks from Joost. Unbeknownst to Joost, that employee had gone on to do some research (via the internet and YouTube) on ‘soy milk production’ and learnt how to make soymilk from scratch.

Now, SILO makes its own fresh soymilk in-house! Joost mentioned that he has been really lucky and thankful for such passionate employees who share the same ideals as him, making his work a more enjoyable part of his life.

The Age’s summary of the event can be found here.

As mentioned above, SILO isn’t just an ordinary cafe as it does its best to reduce waste by recycling leftovers into fertiliser to give back to the farmers that supply the café’s produce. I was fortunate enough to be taken on a quick tour to the back of the cafe to visit the dehydrator by Douglas McMaster (Head Chef at SILO).

Fun Fact: SILO received the Award for Innovation in The Age’s 2013 Good Food Guide, and the Sustainability Practice Champ in The Age’s 2013 Good Food Under $30.

I hear that there are a few more of these reader experiences taking place over the next few months, remember to look out for the clues in The Age if you’re curious enough! It definitely pays to be curious!
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COMPETITION TIME!!

Alright! So you have read the post, stretched yourself out like a curious cat, purred and feasted (with your eyes). Are you ready for the competition?

The fabulous people at Fairfax are giving my lucky readers a chance to win 1 of 5 x copies of the 2013 Good Food Under $30!! Hooray!

All you have to do is answer the question:

‘What do you find most intriguing about Melbourne that piques your curiosity?’

I will be choosing the top 5 answers that come through!! So what are you curious cats waiting for? Leave a comment and get your hands on a copy of the 2013 Good Food Under $30 now!

Competition for the giveaway will run from the Monday 20^th of May to Sunday 26^th of May 2013.

Terms and Conditions for the giveaway:

T&C for the 2013 Good Food Under $30 Giveaway

For more information on the Forever Curious Campaign and related articles follow #ForeverCurious on Twitter and visit:

Forever Curious Website
Forever Curious – Footy Campaign
Forever Curious – Just A Cafe

Madam Mummy being the avid gardener she was, planted beautiful flowers and plants in the various gardens we had when I was growing up (we moved homes a few times). There would be beautiful hydrangeas (big blue bunches), alamandas, adeniums, ixoras, periwinkles and many other tropical fauna that grow beautifully in the Malaysian climate.

When I was younger, Madam Mummy would leave me be in a corner of the garden whilst she happily pottered around, weeding and pruning her other ‘babies’. She would hand me off cuts from the pruning work she would have done so that I could play ‘masak-masak‘ (cooking) with the buds, pebbles, grass, leaves and stones around me.

It was a different sort of tea party you could say! It’s no wonder that I love flowers and cooking so much!

When I heard that a friend (of a friend) had recently joined forces with a chef from Luxbite and one other partner to open up a Malaysian restaurant named Masak-Masak, I knew it was fate calling me.

Memories from my childhood bobbed to the surface and the fact that I wanted to show support (and eat) towards Malaysian restaurants meant that I had to be there!

I called a couple of back-up bellies to help me in my little adventure so that we could get the best out of the menu, so that my dear readers could have a better picture. The things I do for you

So in came Azzie, Mazzie, Daisy (and Ricky) and us to the party

Whilst some of us opted for the normal Malaysian drinks of Teh Ais (Iced Milk Tea) and Coconuts, The Boy ordered the Chilled Tea with dried longans and candied wintermelon ($4.50) which looked like a good rendition of the popular street food drink known as air mata kucing directly translated means “Tears of the Cat’s Eyes”, but it actually is a longan based drink.

From the starter menu, we ordered to share Century Egg, Pickled Ginger, Chilli Oil ($5.00), Kimchi ($5.00) & Anchovies, Peanut, Chillies, Kicap Manis ($5.00).

When I say we, I meant I did all the ordering as the group as a whole went, “You’re Malaysian, you order!” Talk about no pressure

I loved the anchovies and the century egg (although Maz wouldn’t go near it ), but felt that the quantities were a tad small? But I guess they were meant to be snacks.

One of the favourite dishes for the whole group was definitely the Chicken Satay (6 pieces for $14.00) with ketupat, cucumber, onion & peanut sauce. The satay was just perfection. Moist, tender, juicy and perfectly smoky char-grilled, it was so good we ordered another serve of it. The peanut sauce on the other hand needed a little more work to match the perfection of the satay.

We also had the Otak-Otak ($9.00) – Fish mousse wrapped in banana leaf, which we liked. We had the “awesome” (fried) Prawn Wonton ($9.00 for 6 pcs). You can also order these in the “amazing” version, which is boiled

I really enjoyed the Buffalo Wings ($9.00) with Onion Sambal. The sauce had the right amount of kick and I found myself dipping my wonton in the leftover sauce.

We shared several mains, starting with the Kon Low Mee ($8.00) with Prawn Wonton. It was good, but nothing too special, as I make this dish on a fortnightly basis.

The Hainanese Chicken Rice ($19.00) with condiments was tasty. Chicken was tender (half serve) and flavours balanced nicely. Though, between you and me, The Boy’s version is so good, that we never order this dish outside anymore *proud wife*.

The main reason why we were all here! Ashley had mentioned to me at another eating fest that she had the Charcoal Grilled Beef Ribs ($19.00) with Sambal Oelek here and it was the best thing ever.

So we got a serve of this for the group to nom on. I sadly couldn’t participate and watched on as everyone attacked the ribs. There were a few moments of silence where only the sound of chewing and happy “mmmm-ing” could be heard.

I’m guessing that’s a good thing

What I really enjoyed and was most excited to see on the menu was the Grilled Stingray ($19.00) with Pineapple Salad! The only other time I’ve had stingray in Melbourne was at Claypots years ago!

I love stingray and would eat it very often in Malaysia. I make it a point to visit the nearest stingray stall in the coffeeshops (restaurants) in Malaysia as I simply love them.

Masak-Masak’s version did not disappoint!

As luck would have it, the kitchen heard about my sad indisposition to beef, and decided to send out a complimentary Grilled Lamb Ribs which they were trialling in the kitchen that night. I was so happy as I love lamb and given that the rest were so enthusiastic about their beef ribs, I happily tucked into the lamb rib dish. I can attest that it made me very happy that night! It was tender, falling off the bone, yet juicy and succulent all at once. I think they cooked it with magic!

I do think some of the dishes needs a little bit more work (heck, they are only new) but what they do well, they do really well!

Come here for amazing chicken satay and beef ribs.

Step out of your comfort zone, order some century eggs

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

For other recaps to this food adventure:

Off The Spork

Food/ Cuisine: Malaysian
Dining Style: Restaurant

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday, 11:30am – 10:00pm
Sunday, 9:00am – 3:00pm 

Address:
230 Smith Street
Collingwood VIC 3066

Tel: (03) 9417 4510

Website: http://masakmasak.com.au/

How to get there:

She chose The Merchants Guild after ogling at Lianne’s picture of the buckwheat pancakes on offer here. If you haven’t seen them, scroll down for some drool worthy #pancakep0rn

We got there slightly past 9.30am and the cafe was already bustling with the local crowd.

Luckily for us, the Birthday Girl was early to her own party and managed to snag us a table smack bang in the middle of the action.

At our seats, we could ogle the action-packed bench that housed the baristas. Barricaded behind their La Marzocco espresso machine, they churned out Padre coffees like there was no tomorrow. If coffees aren’t your thang’, they also have an array of teas on offer such as Jasmine Pearls, Organic Chamomile Flowers, Golden Monkey and Puerh just to name a few.

But of course, the Boy and I went with a Latte ($3.80) each, vowing that on our next visit back here we would give the teas a go!

Mazzie daring to be different, ordered the Prana Chai (of spices, tea, honey and ginger) $4.50

Seeing that there was Short Cut Bacon, Avocado & Chard Corn Salsa on Sourdough Toast, Poached Eggs, Jalapeno Pesto ($17.00) on the menu, I jumped at the chance of ordering it. The bacon being a thick slab was a little salty on its own. I did however love the corn salsa and couldn’t get enough of the toasted corn within it.

Daisy went with the Porridge, Poached Fruit & Crumble ($11.50) as she needed sugar -_0

Maz went with the Vietnamese Duck Banh Mi Baguette with Pickled Vegetables, Pate, Chilli & Coriander ($12.50) once I managed to convince the group that we would order the famed pancakes to share all round *phew*. The birthday girl was a happy camper with her choice!

The Boy failing to take on the challenge of spelling Mississippi with his bum and ignoring me, went on to order the Mississippi Chicken with a Creole Coleslaw of Cabbage, Fennel, Apple & Purple Carrots ($17.00). He said that the chicken was beautifully crumbed and sacrificed a tiny piece for me to try. I couldn’t help but agree that the crumbed chicken was perfection.

Mr Bao ordered the Roast Potato Bubble & Squeak, Hot Smoked Trout, Horseradish Cream, Cornichons and Poached Eggs ($18.00) and enjoyed it very much.

And then! The pièce de résistance! It arrived and we gasped in glee.

Buckwheat Pancakes with Grilled Pear, Chocolate Fudge, Hazelnuts and Whiskey Maple Syrup ($14.50)

I don’t think I need to say more. Decadent pancakes drizzled with boozed-up maple syrup and chocolate fudge, hazelnuts threatening to spill over, we were in ecstasy.

Definitely come if you’re in the area. People of the South East! Hearken now! We no longer have to journey to strange lands for good brunch fare. Sign up and join in the membership of The Merchants Guild.

Families rest assured, kids menu are also available here.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch & Coffee
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 7:00am to 4:30pm

Address:
680 Centre Road
Bentleigh East VIC 3165

Tel: (03) 9579 0734

Website: http://themerchantsguild.com/

How to get there:

We’ve had such hectic weeks lately, both at work and out of work that The Boy and I haven’t had the time to catch up with each other. Luckily we are so comfortable with our silence and grumpiness that it doesn’t affect our relationship much (she says ><).

With my new-found passion for baking, it’s been killing me that I haven’t been able to do any or much baking at all. However, The Boy being the clever genius he is has taken matters into his own hands when it comes to serving something dessert-ish at the dining table.

He dislikes baking as much as I used to, so he will do anything (even if it’s easier to just bake a cake) to get out of the baking process.

Which is where his ‘No-Bake Chocolate Tart’ comes in handy. Not only do you get out of baking with this recipe, it’s actually quite easy to follow and man were they delectable!

Catching on the recent fig trend (and season) which got all my baking friends (chiefly Thanh and Wince) (and non-friends “we can be fig friends!”) going crazy with their oven, The Boy decided that he’d throw in his 2 bob but without the required necessity of baking.

However, he didn’t want to make any chocolate tart, he wanted it to be special. So we used Valrhona’s Grand Cru 64% chocolate for the tart. With its fresh and tangy flavours, we thought it’d pair really well with the honeyed grilled figs.

Manjari chocolates are usually paired with red or yellow fruits such as berries, but we thought we would step it up a notch with figs as its sweetness would cut through the natural tartness and acidity from the chocolate. 

Tasting the Manjari chocolate on its own is a whole different ball-game. For a full tasting note and review of the Manjari chocolate, visit the Valrhona website.

Don’t you just want to pop the whole thing in your mouth? 

Say, “Aaaahhhhuuuummmmmm”! Nom nom nom!

Not only do the figs pair well with the tanginess from the Manjari chocolate, the aftertaste of hazelnuts and toasted almonds from it that lingers on the palate was surprisingly good.

I must say I had my doubts when he suggested making these chocolate tarts. I didn’t think the sweetened figs would work at all with the chocolate filling (ate my words!) and I didn’t think the base of the tart would hold at all, but hey! I was and still am to be proven wrong. Especially when there are delicious delicacies awaiting me at the end.

These Manjari Chocolate Tarts aren’t meant to be eaten quickly. Each mouthful is meant to take its time. Each taste is meant to be a divine experience.

Hope you enjoy them!

So tell me lovelies, what have you done above and beyond to get yourself out of doing something you hate?

He has gone out of the limb from his sporting brothers and sisters and opened up 8Days, a cafe and roastery based out of High St, Armadale.

When I first saw the name of the cafe, I immediately assumed that it was because Gunn was a Beatles Fan but upon more research, discovered that Gunn named his first venture after what he believes is the optimum time to grind coffee beans after roasting. So, there you go.

At the 8Days cafe, coffee beans are roasted by Five Senses then ground by the team at 8Days, eight days later (duh!). For more information on how they do this and the type of beans they use, visit the Five Senses story on 8 Days.

The Boy and I decided to head there one morning as we were being our usual indecisive self. The Boy asked me what I would like to have for breakfast, which roughly translates to “I am lazy to think, you better come up with a good option that’s not too far away”. I translate husband speak quite well >.<

Luckily for me, 8Days had been on my radar as we had been tweeting each other (don’t you just love technology) and they were the first place that I could think of to suggest. So off we went. The problem with High Street in Armadale is the lack of available parking in that area. We circled for a good 20 minutes before finding an off-street park, which was just as well as we were just about ready to give up and turn around elsewhere.

As we walked into the cafe, we noticed that the interior was quite dark. So, as a major sacrifice to you (my dear readers), I convinced The Boy that we needed to sit outside in the cold so that our pictures would turn out better. The things I do for you

Fantastically for me, as part of the great service by the team at 8Days provided me with a fleece blanket (a whole basket to choose from actually)! So I was mostly warm whilst we lounged outside eating our brunch.

The coffees were well brewed and we enjoyed our lattes as we relaxed and chatted away outside. I was feeling quite comfortable and contented with my warm blanket

The Boy had the Wagyu Beef Burger ($21.00) – brioche bun, gruyere cheese, smoked bacon, tomato relish & sliced pickles with fat chips, crisp baby cos, tomato & aioli, which he quite enjoyed.

He loved the idea of using gruyere cheese in the burger.

All I wanted for breakfast that morning was bacon. So I ordered the Smashed Avocado & Persian fetta on 6 grain toast with Smoked Bacon & Poached Eggs ($18.00) which was mighty delicious and just what I needed on that cold and wet morning.

Come here if you are needing to relax after a hard morning of shopping on High Street, if you’re with your mates catching up or if you need some good family time (the place is big enough and friendly enough for kids of all ages).

They also do dinners and late nights from Wednesdays to Fridays!

Take note that they do not do split bills or variations to items on the menu on weekends.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Modern Australian
Dining Style: Cafe & Roastery

Opening Hours:
Monday & Tuesday, 7:30am to 4:00pm
Wednesday to Friday, 7:30am to 10:30pm
Saturday, 7:30am to 5:00pm
Sunday, 8:00am to 6:00pm

Address:
1184 High Street
Armadale VIC 3143

Tel: (03) 9500 9711

Website: http://8dayscafe.com.au/

Twitter: @8dayscafe

How to get there:

He’s been sitting in the background sketching, thinking and planning on what he could recreate that would not only represent the essence of the Playground Series, but also be fun and out of the box.

Enter the Malaysian mamak scene. If you’ve never heard of the famed roadside eateries that dot nearly every suburb in Malaysia, do yourselves a favour and on your next trip to beautiful Malaysia, head out for supper to the nearest local mamak near you.

There you can enjoy rotis, mee gorengs, nasi gorengs, fried chicken and nasi lemak etc by the side of the road or if you’re lucky, the fancier open aired hawker establishments located in shops. Not all mamak stalls are by the roadside and not all streetside stalls by the roads are mamak stalls. 

In terms of drinks, you can order from a wide range of beverage options. You could order the famed Teh Tarik (“Pulled” Tea with Condensed Milk), or go with Nescafe Tarik (“Pulled” Nescafe with Condensed Milk), Teh O’Ais (Iced Tea), Teh O’Ais Limau (Iced Lemon Tea) or simply a glass of Milo or Horlicks. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you could start mixing your tea, coffee, Horlicks or Milo options, such as Cham (Coffee and Tea), Neslo (coffee and milo) or if you’re feeling completely crazy all four of them.

This is where the Boy’s inspiration for this Playground Series comes from.

For the longest time, us cheeky Malaysians have been daring each other to order the drink comprised of the four (Tea, Coffee, Milo and Horlicks) at Mamak stalls to gleeful laughter and banter.

Why? Because of its cheeky sounding name (Lick (Horlicks) – Mi (Milo) – Ko (Kopi or Coffee) – Teh (Teh or Tea)). Imagine as you place your order with the local mamak waiter, looking him in the eye to say, “I want a ‘lick-mi-ko-teh’, please“!

It is exactly what it sounds to be, It is an order that has two fronts. One, the drink (of course) and the second is pretty much a request for the poor chap to lick your nether regions (if you’re a guy) 0_0.

So the Boy came up with the aforementioned drink in the form of a dessert.

On the plate, there are elements from each of the drink components that make up Lick-Mi-Ko-Teh.

The shot glass contains a combination of tea and coffee, otherwise known as Cham (in Malaysia) or Ying Yang (in Chinese).

The two chocolate bars, are actually frozen Milo Parfait Bars sprinkled with Milo.

On the two corners, are Horlicks Crumble (made with Horlicks, flour, sugar & butter).

And the really long PVC tube-like thing is the Teh Tarik Panna Cotta topped with teh tarik foam, and dulce de leche at the corner for the condensed milk representation.

Our favourite component of the dessert had to be the Milo parfait bars. It was just so addictive and lovely to eat (akin to eating Milo ice cream!).

We served this to a couple of our Malaysian friends who guffawed in laughter and glee as we brought this out of our kitchen.

So does your culture have something similar in terms of a ‘naughty’ but real food/drink?

Better yet, when it opens up in a neighbourhood near me!

Little Chloe, a relatively new cafe on the market (it’s only been slightly over 2 months since they opened up) is an all-rounder. They claim to be a Cafe, Specialty Coffee, Micro Roastery, Catering, Food Store (which is a lot of things to be).

The Boy and I thought we’d visit them one day after hearing good things from both Fatboo and The Hangry Bitch

If you’re curious with the title for the post, the name Chloe is derived from the Greek name  χλόη (khlóē), which means, “young green shoot”. Fun fact of the day

As we walked through the front door, we were greeted with a wonderful feeling of home. It’s chirpy interior of nature and wood immediately cause a wave of calm to wash over me. I love the whole outdoor-indoor concept and can’t think of why more cafe’s don’t adopt it

As usual, we got a couple of Lattes ($3.80) to start.

Knowing me as you do by now, it would be no surprise to anyone that I ordered the Thin Corn Fritters ($15.50) – with spicy baked beans, spinach, chorizo & poached eggs.

The fritters were beautifully done and very crispy. My only nit-picky issue with this dish was that it came served in a bowl, which made the bottom of my fritters go all soggy from soaking up the beautiful sauce.

Also, having this served in a bowl made it really hard to eat. That’s really the only thing wrong with this dish. It was otherwise, perfect!

I love the interior.

Little Chloe’s Pork Belly in Homemade Steamed Buns ($18.00) – with carrot daikon pickle, cucumbers, coriander & peking-style sauce served with wombok salad, buna-shimeji mushrooms & peanut crunches.

These sure reminded me of Momofuku’s famed pork buns and it wasn’t surprising to learn from Fatboo’s interview with one of Little Chloe’s owners that they were inspired by Momofuku for this dish! (Aren’t we clever?!)

Who wouldn’t want pork belly for breakfast .. mmmmm … *nomnomnom*

As I had inhaled my coffee when we arrived, I decided to order another glass of coffee. Also because they had more than the usual options. I went with a Market Lane Single Origin Pour Over (Cyiya) which was delicately brewed.

With Little Chloe being so comfortably close to us, we will definitely be making more return trips soon!

Why should you come? The menu is simple and a great mix of Asian and Modern Australian fusion.

Is it kid friendly? The place is wide enough to fit prams and has bench/bar sitting by the windows for you to park your pram. They have a kids menu too which includes items such as Cheese Solider Toast and a Bacon, Fetta and Cherry Tomato Pizza! If you are into healthier options for your kiddies, there’s also a Yoghurt Fruit Compote and Muesli Stacks option.

Other than that, it is a great place for all sorts, kids and adults alike

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch & Coffee
Dining Style: Cafe & Micro Roastery

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday, 7:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday, 8:00am – 4:00pm

Address:
Ground Floor
1810 Malvern Road
Malvern East VIC 3145

Tel: (03) 9699 4054

Website: http://www.littlechloe.com.au/

Twitter: @littlechloecafe

How to get there:

How are you all enjoying the week? It’s hump day! To celebrate this cheerful mid-week accomplishment (and survival), we’ve decided to run a little giveaway on this humble ol’ blog since we haven’t done one in a while.

What is it?

Taylors Wines, a family-owned Australian wine company established 3 generations ago, out of South Australia’s beautiful Clare Valley believe in ‘Bringing great wines to life.’ Their passion of producing exceptional, hand crafted wines partnered with their understanding of the need to protect, preserve and enhance the quality of the fruit from their vineyards.

What I really love about the Taylors philosphy is their respect to the environment and their commitment to sustainability with a comprehensive Environmental Management System.

From a velvety Cabernet Sauvignon to delicate and refreshing Riesling, Taylors Wines boasts a world-class collection of unmistakeable quality and style.

Follow them on Twitter @Taylors_Wines for updates on their products!

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COMPETITION TIME!!

Alright! So are you rubbing your hands together now and wondering “How can I get me some lovely wines”?

Well, guess what? The lovely people at Taylors Wines will send two lucky readers two bottles of wine each! The winners will receive a bottle of Taylors Estate Shiraz  and a bottle of Taylors Estate Pinot Gris. 

All you have to do is answer the question ‘What would be the most creative dish you would cook with either one of the wines and for whom?‘

The most creative answer will be chosen by us!! So what are you waiting for? Get your thinking hat on and start commenting now!

Competition for the giveaway will run from the Wednesday 1st May 2013 until 6pm Tuesday 7th May 2013.

The winners will be contacted and announced in this post, Twitter and Facebook on Wednesday 8th May 2013.

Terms and Conditions for the giveway:

**Please leave a valid email address in the email box (emails won’t be published) as a contact point. The giveaway is open to readers in Australia only. Winners must be of legal drinking age and provide proof of age.

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[07/05/2013] Announcement: Winners of the Taylors Wines Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who left a comment here.

The 2 winners are:

1) milkteaxx
2) InTolerant Chef

… Congratulations, the winners will be contacted via email.

Competition Now Closed.

It must be the autumn air that makes me buzz so.

It could also be that summer has stayed on a little later this year and has zapped my brain cells.

In any case, I must have lost my mind as I’ve gotten into a baking frenzy and I don’t know how to stop!

Yes! Me! The one that dislikes baking or baked goods to the extreme!

However, I have discovered in the last few weeks, that I can indeed bake, and I can indeed bake good cakes. Just don’t ever let me attempt macarons again. I tried thrice and failed more spectacularly each time.

This cake has helped me find my confidence around baking and the oven.

It’s brought me many compliments and demands for the recipe.

It’s made people a little brighter, chirpier and pleasant when they have had a taste.

So without further ado, I share with you my recipe for my Lime, Coconut & Olive Oil Cake!

(Recipe adapted from Julie Jansen’s Coconut Lime Syrup Cake on Taste.com.au, Souvlaki For the Soul’s Lime, Yoghurt & Olive Oil Cake and Smitten Kitchen’s Key Lime Coconut Cake)

I guarantee that this cake will draw exclamations of surprise and praise.

It brings a smile to everyone’s faces. I’ve baked this cake thrice now and have had everyone comment on how moist and zingy it was.

I love that it is a no fuss, whisk free, stiff egg white free kind of recipe.

Even your kids could make this with their eyes closed

So what do you think of my new-found passion in baking?

I think I may be on to something here!

Yup. 

We are gone.

But only for 4 days during the Anzac break period *GOTCHA*

We’ve taken advantage of the semi-long weekend, taken Friday off and have flown to Sydney to spend some family time with my sister, bro-in-law and little nephew to celebrate him turning one.

Yup! The little monster is now 1!

So as to not leave you all lonely and miserable, here is another breakfast brunch compilation! 

Just for you Aren’t we considerate

Enjoy!

We start out in Collingwood before we move down to Footscray and finish in Alphington. It’s a bit of a journey, but in the end it’s all worth it!

For the bacon!!!

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Breakfast Thieves - Fitzroy, Vic

When I first heard of Breakfast Thieves, I knew I had to visit. Yup, I completely judged the book by its cover and it paid off.

Also there’s a sexy waiter in the shop *who said that*. Dragging Ms Tinymouse there one morning to thank her for assisting us with all the wedding prep, we oggled the waiter as we waited for our breakfast to arrive.

When my BFF and Doe Eyed Girl was around, I took them there for some eye candy, but sadly they humoured Ms Tinymouse and my taste in men, saying “Ahh, I can see why you would find him attractive!” WHAT?

Y U NO GIVE A SISTER RESPEK?

Anyways, the coffees were alright. We had lattes and flat whites all round ($3.50). The coffees are by STREAT (To read more on STREAT, read Azzie’s post here and here).

[Clockwise from top-left to bottom left: The Leprechaun ($16.50); Savoury Pain Perdu; The Legend ($17.00)]

The food on the other hand were the definite highlight. We particularly love the menu names for the food.

Pay close attention to the dish called Botak Chin. If I’d ordered it, there would have been a history lesson, but alas, you can Wiki it for yourself.

Corn fritters are delicious here. They are more similar to those found at St. Ali North and Petty Officer. Round fritters as opposed to the flat cakes.

When the Boy had The Legend, he complained that it was too spicy for him (he has no tolerance for heat), but I had a taste and it was just lovely (I have a high tolerance ).

The other dishes were pretty generic, good but not stand out dishes.

Come here if you’re looking for another cool hipster cafe to dine at. Also if you happen to be around the corner shopping at Factory Outlets, this is a great spot to rest your tired feet!

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch, Coffee
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Friday, 7:30am – 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday, 8:00am – 4:00pm

Address:
Shop 1, 420 Gore Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065

Tel: (03) 9416 4884

Website: http://www.breakfastthieves.com.au/

How to get there:

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Footscray Milking Station - Footscray, Vic

We finally found ourselves at Footscray Milking Station one sunny spring afternoon. We had been visiting one of the Boy’s cousin who lives out west. Not quite knowing where to go for brunch as we were both vegetarian that day (in memory of Papa), we decided to venture out to Footscray away from the Pho joints and into a cafe.

I fell in love with the layout. Simply, vintage (I might be addicted to vintage items at the moment) and homely, Footscray Milking Station is a lovely cafe in the western suburbia.

[Clockwise from top-left to bottom-left: Milking Station Breakfast ($15.00) ; Milking Station Vegetarian ($15.00) ; #yolkporn; and Corn Cakes ($16.00)]

The Boy’s cousin decided to go big and ordered the Milking Station Breakfast – your choice of eggs, bacon, tomato, hash brown & toast, whilst the Boy went with the vegetarian option of Milking Station Vegetarian – your choice of eggs, spinach, tomato, hash brown & toast.

Having seen that Corn Cakes with guacamole, tomato relish were part of the menu, I knew I had to order it. As we were vegetarians, I asked them to omit the bacon. Funnily enough, I didn’t missed said missing bacon and was very happy with my dish.

Would I return? Definitely. I want to try all the other non-vegetarian options.

Come if you have a mixed group of friends incline to eat or save bacon. If you’re looking to make a quick milk bar pit-stop, drop in as well. They have a little deli window out front with bread, milk and meats.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch, Coffee
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 7:00am – 3:00pm

Address:
35 Bunbury Street
Footscray VIC 3011

Tel: (03) 9029 9240

Website: http://www.footscraymilkingstation.com.au/

Twitter: @milkingstation

How to get there:

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Apte - Alphington, Vic

I’ve been wanting to visit Apte since Winnie blogged about it ages ago. The fact that it’s located in the neighbouring suburb of where The Boy works has dissuaded him from taking me there for a visit.

However, during our minimoon after the wedding (I was Queen) and demanded that he took me there for brunch before heading down to the Yarra Valley. Yup! I made him drive all the way up north for food just to satisfy my highness *thankyouverymuch*.

The tiny stand alone cafe off a really busy intersection has a back entrance with a cramp car park which is well shaded and hidden. It doesn’t provide an indication of the layout of the cafe inside, which is really quite charming.

I was in one of my rare moods and decided to go with a non-savoury and non-meat dish. I was hoping for a breakfast meal that was similar to my all time favourite crepe dish at Dead Man Espresso. Thus I ordered the Mixed Platter ($15.50) - half serve of Ricotta Hot Cakes (served with poached seasonal fruit, honey & orange infused ricotta) and Banana Bread (toasted house made banana and coconut bread with honey labna, pistachios & roasted seasonal fruit).

What can I say? I was greedy and I couldn’t decide so I ordered both I preferred the banana bread out of the two, but really they were both well executed. I liked that the ricotta hot cakes were light and fluffy, but somehow I still found it a little too heavy for me.

The Boy as you know when faced with a baked egg option, goes with baked eggs. He ordered the Spanish Baked Eggs ($13.90) – baked eggs, red kidney & cannellini beans, chorizo and topped with a parmesan crust. Served with toasted Turkish bread it made for a fulfilling meal.

We were completely full by the time we were done with our meal and lasted past lunch when we nibbled on snacks at the Yarra Valley.

I’d visit this place again if I can convince The Boy to take me Pretty spacious fit out, so prams should be quite comfortable here.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch, Coffee
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday, 8:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday, 8:00am – 3:30pm

Address:
538 Heidelberg Road
Alphington VIC 3078

Tel: (03) 9482 2991

Website: http://www.apte.com.au/

How to get there:

Not much longer until Autumn is over.

I must say, that this year it seems Mother Nature is intent on us missing out on Autumn altogether bringing us straight in from a harsh summer to a blistering winter.

However there have been days when Melbourne has seen beautiful Autumn days.

Autumn brings with it a colourful array of fresh produce. Indeed each season brings forth their own rich abundance, but since it’s Autumn, the Boy and I would like to dedicate the following recipe to Autumn.

This is our ode.

Look at the beautiful mass of freshly shaven ribbons.

Crisps and delicate, it makes for a fun eating.

Serve on its own or as an accompaniment with a meat centered or pasta dish.

Absolutely delicious and fit for any king or queen at the table

Our topic of discussion was, “Is there such a thing as comfort food and what is your comfort food?”

The four of us were harping on and on about how Chinese food makes us all feel relaxed, happy and completely satisfied as it was our comfort food.

Jo’s Ang Moh, being the only caucasian in this discussion couldn’t quite comprehend what we were going on about. We tried to explain it to him. About the satisfaction and comfort of eating good food and how it makes you utterly relaxed and happy.

It’s a different feeling from eating your favourite food. It’s more about the food that makes you reminisce about your childhood and gives you flashbacks to a certain period of happiness in your life (a bit like that scene from Ratatouile).

Not surprisingly, we were having this open discussion around a massive dinner at Pacific Seafood BBQ House in Richmond. It was our third time there with a separate group in less than 2 months.

Ever since Winston introduced us to this restaurant via instagram, we just can’t get enough of the food in this place.

It’s seriously affordable and delicious Chinese food.

Don’t be deterred by the various roast meats hanging out at the front of the shop. If you have not experience this display of food in front of a restaurant, step up, be brave and take the plunge. It’s not that different to a rotisserie This is a compilation of all the dishes we have tried from all three of our visits (we seem to order the same delicious dishes!).

The Siu Yuk (Crispy Roast Pork Belly) $20.00 is crisp and succulent. Not the best I’ve ever had but quite good all the same.

The pièce de résistance of the restaurant and a definite must order is the Roast Duck. Order half $23 or a whole duck $46, the choice is up to you.

The Eggplant with Mince Pork in Szechuan Sauce ($19.00) is definitely tasty, slightly spicy and very comforting, especially on a cold chilly night. Perfect with rice.

On a separate occasion, we tried their Deep Fried Eggplant with Prawn Paste and Chilli & Garlic ($24.00) 

A favourite of ours is the Deep Fried Chicken Ribs in Salted Duck Egg Yolk ($22.00). Its rich yolky coating encases sweet juicy tender chicken flesh which is to die for.

I’d never had pipies with chinese doughnuts before, but I haven’t a clue why! I highly recommend ordering a plate of Pipi in X.O. Sauce ($22.00) with added Chinese Doughnut.

The Boy’s favourite type of beancurd is the Pipa Tofu (Beancurd) $20.00 which they do well here. If you would like to know how to make these, look at the recipe we prepared earlier (Fried Pipa Tofu).

Outside of Japanese cuisine, I have not had eel (unagi) in any other way. I quite enjoyed the Eel Steamed in Black Bean Sauce ($24.00).

If you can’t tell from the above pictures, we often order a little too hard on the meat dishes. So occasionally when questioned, we add in the greens. We like the Spinach with Two Egg Sauce ($21.00). 

So if you are looking for a good Chinese restaurant to dine and experience the “comfort food” feeling, look no further than to Pacific Seafood BBQ House in Richmond. It makes me hungry and wanting to plan the next trip there now as I’m writing this post!

This is a typical Chinese restaurant, so expect the same kind of service usually associated to that. But what seems interesting is that the average price for the dishes ordered is around the low $20 mark regardless of meat, seafood or vegetable

In wrapping this up, I’d like to ask, “What is your comfort food“?

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Chinese
Dining Style: Restaurant

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, Lunch & Dinner

Address:
8 / 240 Victoria Street
Richmond VIC 3121

Tel: (03) 9427 8225

How to get there:

But for some reason or another, I seem to be surrounded by sweets quite a lot. Heck, I’ve even started baking *shock and horror*. I do give it all away though (my baked goods bring all the boys to the yard That was for you Michele!)

It’s not that I don’t like sugar, I do. I just don’t crave it as much as I do meats and savouries. However, if it is there, I’ll eat it.

So here’s a compilation post of sugary treats that we have eaten lately. The Boy loves sugar. He literally likes to eat them as is.

Luxbite should be included in this list as we visit them the most often, but we blogged about them recently, so they have been excluded from this round up

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Parisian Patisserie Boulangerie - Essendon, Vic

Despite not being a major sweet tooth, I will kill for sweet pastries. Go figure. My favourite item on the pastry hit list are croissants followed almost breathlessly by torsades.

So when the sugar craving hit me, I made the Boy go on a journey to the far west to get me some of Melbourne’s most famous Almond Croissant.

To be perfectly honest, we were on the way to Gisborne to visit a friend and decided to drop in on our mini-impromptu road trip!

As we arrived to Parisian Patisserie I couldn’t help but notice how quaint and French the place looked. It was so lovely.

We did stand for a little while before being told that we could sit anywhere. Service was a tad confusing, as we weren’t quite sure how the place operated (i.e. self service or table service).

However, the spread at the front counter sufficiently distracted me enough that I wasn’t too bothered.

Of course we had to order the famed Almond Croissant. I couldn’t help but make certain that we would also include at least one savoury pastry to our list and had the Egg and Prosciutto Brioche. We also ordered another savoury which doesn’t seem to be on the menu, so I’m assuming that it was a special for the day. It had cheese and bacon

I desperately wanted to try the Pane Au Chocolat but couldn’t fit anything else in as the Boy is not a big eater in the morning and I didn’t fancy finishing up all the pastries on my own.

We may be accused of sacrilege but the Boy and I didn’t rate the almond croissant here. It wasn’t that it wasn’t good. It was that it was too rich and we are more used to the fluffier croissants without the heavy almond meal that is used here.

Maybe I need to revisit and have the croissant again to affirm that sacrilegious claim! I did like the pastry and I can see why they remain so super popular.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Address:
19 Keilor Road
Essendon VIC 3040

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday, 7:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday, 7:00am – 4:00pm

Tel: (03) 9379 3815

Website: http://www.parisianpatisserie.com.au/

How to get there:

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Cupcake Central Workshop - Melbourne Central, Vic

My favourite go-to spot when a cupcake craving hits (and to recommend people to visit) is Cupcake Central.

Some Sundays, if the mood suits the Boy and I, we like to saunter up to Melbourne Central after church and sit at the food court where Cupcake Central & Plantation is located.

We will have our morning ‘date’ before deciding what the agenda for the day would be and where our lunch would take us.

We would sit quietly in our corner with our Plantation coffee and cupcakes and watch the world go by.

On one such occasion, the sugar fairy struck and I ordered a few cupcakes to take away as we were going to visit my cousin for lunch.

Cupcake Central caters to the gluten intolerant crowd so that was certainly a winning point for me as my cousin-in-law is coeliac.

Note that this post is definitely delayed (so the options below are from their 2012 Winter Collection ):

• Carrot (Gluten Free)
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Salted Caramel
• Blueberry & Maple (Gluten-Free + Vegan)

Cupcakes here are generally good and fresh. My favourite is still the chocolate mint and red velvet (on their everyday menu).

<3!

*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Address:
Melbourne Central Workshop Store
Level 2, Dining Hall
Melbourne Central
Melbourne VIC 3000

Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday, 10:00am – 7:00pm
Friday, 10:00am – 9:00pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10:00am – 6:00pm

Tel: (03) 9077 4542

Website: http://www.cupcakecentral.com.au

Twitter: @cupcake_central

How to get there:

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Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio - South Yarra, Vic

Well, we all know I love B&P’s Ingredient Wall! Admittedly we don’t visit them as often as we would like to as I never seem to make their opening hours!

I do love their seasonal treats and the various types of sweets, candies, ice-creams on display (and for sale!).

The last time we were there, we were greeted with inviting meringue clouds.

But we were on a mission and ignored these heavenly treats in lieu of something more substantial.

We had the Salted Caramel Eclair which was delicious. I love the fact that it was paired with dark chocolate rather than milk, which drew out the salted caramel flavours more without the added sweetness factor.

The next one is the one I would like to dub as the one with the Teddy Bear It was an interesting cake of Mango, Milk Chocolate and Ginger. Can’t really say yeay or nay to this invention.

My favourite from the three that we bought was definitely the Chocolate & Hazelnut Tart. Chocolate brushed tart shell, chocolate & hazelnut spread, hazelnut crumble, dark chocolate 65% cream, dark chocolate glaze, milk choc decor and toasted hazelnut (*phew*).

I need to head back to B&P soon. I’m only scared to go because I know I’ll lose all self control and want to buy everything in sight. Odd since I don’t eat cakes

But they don’t just do cakes, I want to get all their different types of nuggets, soils, spreads and so forth. Eep! Give me strength

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Desserts, Cakes & Sweets
Dining Style: Take Away

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 10:00am – 6:30pm

Address:
647 Chapel Street
South Yarra VIC 3141

Tel: (03) 9827 7060

Website: http://www.burchandpurchese.com/

Twitter: @burchpurchese

How to get there:

I’ve always said I’m not a big fan of cakes, nor do I crave for any Asian desserts.

However, oddly enough if there was anything more contradictory than that very statement is that I do like pandan cakes.

“What is a pandan cake?”, I hear you innocently ask?

Well, it’s a cake made out of screwpine leaves (also known as Asian Vanilla) to some. The leaves have many uses but are most popular in South East Asian cooking, both sweet and savoury.

The pandan cake is ubiquitous to South East Asia and in particular to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. How or where the cake originated from isn’t very concrete but my guess is that it is an evolution of more traditional chiffon and Angel cakes influenced by both the Dutch and English occupations of these lands.

For one reason or another, I’ve started baking. I’ve always said that I hated baking as well.

Well, I guess I’m happy to be proven wrong on both these vehement statements: P

Part of my newfound baking bonanza love (no, I am NOT nesting), has been motivated by the available ingredients in my fridge and pantry. The second part for my baking is the idea that I will not let baking get the better of me. I am a stronger woman than that! Hell yeah!

With that in mind, I got out my Bundt cake mould (I don’t have the appropriate bakeware) and jumped onto both April’s and Thanh’s blogs to look up how to bake like a master

Here is my version as adapted from April and Thanh

Pandan Chiffon Cake

2013-04-12 04:32:05

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Ingredients

6 egg whites

125 g caster sugar

6 egg yolks

80 g caster sugar (additional)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

165 ml coconut milk (the smallest can)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoon pandan essence

120 g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

Instructions

Heat the oven up to 160 degrees Celcius.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add in the (125g) sugar until you get stiff peaks.

You should be able to hold the whisked egg whites over your head without it falling out.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar (80g) and vanilla essence until it forms a pale and creamy mixture (it should triple in size).

In a small bowl, mix the coconut milk, vegetable oil and pandan essence.

Add this to the egg yolk mixture, whilst whisking at a slower speed. As I used a hand mixer, I had to stop, pour in the entire green mixture and start again.

Once it is througly mixed through, sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and gently fold through.

Add one third of the egg whites to the now green mixture. You can beat it as much as you like to loosen up the batter.

Add the remaining egg white and fold gently into the mixture, taking care to not overwork it.

Pour the batter into an ungreased ring tin (as I didn't have one, I used a greased Bundt tin).

Bang the tin on the counter top a few times to release any air bubbles that may have been trapped.

Bake for around 45-50 minutes. Insert a skewer into the middle to check if it has been cooked.

Notes

Garnish with some toasted desiccated coconut and serve with your preferred choice of beverage.

The Chronicles of Ms I-Hua & The Boy http://msihua.com/

I eliminated Thanh’s green frosting, as it didn’t resemble the Pandan Chiffon cake served in Malaysia. However, I have tried his version and can vouch that it works as well and is quite tasty.

So would you be making this green alien cake soon for your friends and family?

Ever since The Boy’s health scare last year, he has had a hankering to track down the finest steaks that Melbourne has to offer. 

I of course, am always happy to oblige as long as there are good pictures to be taken for the blog and good food for my belly to digest.

So like the wonderful wife that I am, I decided that the next spot for him to enjoy his steak would be at the Wayside Inn.

The day that we rocked up, the sun was high and bright, casting too many shadows in the glaring light (sounds like I’m starting a poem here). 

So we asked if we could sit at the corner booth which happened to be next to a shaded window (oh my, who planned that? 0_0), to which the staff happily obliged. 

It was a lovely Spring afternoon (sometime in September) and the weather was just perfect. Take note that the items we had below may no longer be on the menu, it has been a while

For one reason or another my eyes that day were definitely bigger than my stomach. I ordered enough food to feed a family of four! The Boy kept staring at me to see if I was alright. In my mind, all the dishes I wanted to try were offal related which meant that they would be tiny serves. Correct? I guess not.

Ever since I had the spectacular Black Pudding at The Commoner, I’ve been on a quest to find out if I could get the same great taste and quality of black pudding. So when I noticed that there was Homemade Black Pudding, Pancetta Vinaigrette ($12.50) on the menu, I was so there!

I wasn’t disappointed either with the taste of the black pudding and happily used some of my bread to polish the plate!

The next thing I wanted to eat was the Suckling Pig Terrine with Onion Jam ($12.50) which as terrine goes, was pretty awesome. I love the texture of terrines in general and this was no exception. Loved it!

As The Boy is not a massive fan of terrines or black puddings, I thought I’d be clever and ordered him some Hand Cut Chips ($8.00). Though these chips were excellent (crispy outside and fluffy inside), it was a little on the overkill side of over-indulgent-ordering.

My sole reason for ‘spoiling’ The Boy with a visit to this establishment was to order and enjoy the famed Pig’s Trotter ‘Pierre Koffmann’ ($29.00).

It was everything I imagined it to be and more. I noticed that this is no longer on the menu which is such a shame.

It was rich, decadent and so so delicious. It was melty goodness and cholesterol indulging, but I didn’t care. It was so good. If I didn’t polish off the two entrees (albeit with The Boy’s help), I would have enjoyed this even more! Alas, my inner greedy pig caused me my own downfall and I could not finish the silky mash that was served alongside it.

Luckily for The Boy, the day that we visited was a Sunday, which meant he got to enjoy the Sunday Rotissoire du jour of Grass Fed Sirloin ($34.00).

The texture was tender and delicious. The Boy said that it was perfectly cooked to his liking (which is medium rare). The carrots, asparagus and crispy bacon added another texture to the dish.

In his words, “It was just a lovely Sunday roast lunch”. Indeed.

I would love to return to see what’s new on their menu. This time round, I may have learnt from my greedy ways and bring more people with me to dine! (What? You thought I’d order less? ).

Wayside Inn is definitely a place that seems to have flown under the radar. The food was excellent and the service was friendly. Perhaps I should organise a meal here soon with friends (no ulterior motive whatsover with #iloveoffal tendencies).

The fit out is large and welcoming with a courtyard and an upstairs for private dining.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Gastropub (mainly French influenced)
Dining Style: Restaurant

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00am – late
Sunday, 11:00am – 5:00pm

Address:
446 City Road
South Melbourne VIC 3205

Tel: (03) 9682 9119

Website: http://www.waysideinn.com.au/

Twitter: @Wayside__Inn

How to get there:

As they say (well as #GoT fans say), “Winter is coming!”.

What I also can’t believe is that I haven’t blogged about The Pour Kids already! (Loving my segue’s more and more).

It’s one of my favourite go-to cafe’s when my brain is not functioning and I can’t be bothered checking out a new cafe. On that rare occasion, I make the Boy drive me to Malvern for a good wake up call.

Literally.

Coffee and breakfast <3!

It’s also the place which I’m confident enough to recommend and bring visitors over for good coffee and food (that’s quite rare these days!).

Besides Hardware Societe, Dead Man Espresso and Station St Trading Co., I’m not too sure if there are many others I can cross my heart and say, “Please dine here as you would be in good hands”.

I love the fun and colourful layout at The Pour Kids. Bright splashes of yellows and reds intermixed with blues can be seen in their decorations and furniture. 

Makes for a happy atmosphere!

My favourite item on the menu would have to be Google This ($16.00) – Deep Fried Crumbed Poached Eggs, Chorizo, Feta, Frizee Lettuce, Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I love the excitement of the crumbed poached eggs. I really do get excited about it and am always jumping up and down in my seat, much to the Boy’s annoyance whenever I order this dish. Why? I love that the oozy yolk is still a mysterious possibility in all that crumbly goodness. I may have a problem ><.

The Boy usually orders the Stacks On! ($16.50) – Stack of Grilled Chorizo Sausage, Hash Brown, Guacamole, Sour Cream & Roasted Corn Relish.

I particularly like the roasted corn relish and wished there was more to go around!

On the occasion where we are lucky enough to have friends around, the Boy and I feel that we are able to explore the menu a bit more. That’s when we get a little adventurous.

The last time my BFF and Doe Eyed Girl was around and staying with us, the Boy took us all out to The Pour Kids for an ‘Aussie’ breakfast before we headed off to a Hen’s do.

The two girls couldn’t help but order the Google This, so in the interest of this blog, I ordered the Duck for Cover ($16.50) – Italian Style Pork Sausage, Burnt Butter Gnocchi, Fried Egg & Swiss Chard I’m so dedicated to my blog sometimes

What I loved about this dish was the delicious gnocchi. What I didn’t like about it was that it was much too oily. I think the chef went a little heavy handed with the olive oil here.

The Boy, bless him, when I mentioned he had to order something new and different, decided to go with The Lego (build-a-breaky) – Poached Eggs, Toasted Sourdough Bread ($7.50) with add-on extras of Pork & Fennel Sausage ($4.50) & Hash Brown ($4.00).

I suggest going with this option if you aren’t too sure what you would like (or if you would like one of everything on the menu!).

Coffees are always good here and they serve up seasonal coffee by Axil with the occasional single origin specials (refer to the board).

I love The Pour Kids for its quaintness, great vibe, food, coffee and proximity to us.

Expect to see parents with kids, mothers with prams, gym junkies and local enthusiasts.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch & Coffee
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 7:00am – 4:00pm

Address:
1E Winter Street
Malvern VIC 3144

Tel: (03) 9077 3847

Twitter: @ThePourKids

How to get there:

I’ve been hankering for some good ol’ Malaysian curries lately. I think it’s because I’ve had about 3 people ask me for a recipe for a good Malaysian curry chicken. I always point people to Amy Beh’s recipe (Spicy Curry Chicken, Nyonya Curry Chicken, Chicken Curry Chinese Style) but it does take a lot of energy (not to mention ingredients) to make.

Being a lazy cook and all that, I couldn’t find the energy to want to mortar and pestle it out with all the spice pastes and mixes.

I also had none of the required ingredients (shocking) in my pantry for any of the curries listed above.

Which got me thinking! I am Malaysian!

I’ll make one up by hook or by crook and it will be made by a Malaysian and thus will still qualify as a Malaysian Curry Chicken!

With that logic in mind, I tackled what ingredients I did have in the kitchen with my wooden spatula.

What I discovered, was that good tasting curries need not be overcomplicated. Just a few simple spices and voila! Happy days.

Ms I-Hua’s Cheat’s Malaysian Curry Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
500-600 g of Chicken Breast (cut into rough chunks)
Meat Curry Powder (I used ‘Faiza Curry Meat Powder’ which is a blend of dry spices – but you can use any curry powder mix out there)
3 dried Red Chillies
a pinch of Salt
4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp chopped Garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbp Sambal Olek
1 tsp Sugar
1tsp ground White Pepper

1 cup of toasted Desiccated Coconut
1 cup of Coconut Water*
1 Kaffir Lime Leaf (shredded finely)
Sliced Red Chillies (for garnishing)

*Note – to get the coconut water, simply soak the desiccated coconut in warm water and squeeze. Repeat this a few times making sure that the coconut is completely dry before you toast it. Save the water to be used in cooking. Alternatively you can mix 1/2 cup of coconut milk with 1/2 cup of water.

Procedure:

Coat the chicken pieces in the curry powder and salt and set aside.

In a hot wok (or frying pan), heat up 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot enough, brown the chicken in the wok on all sides. Take out and set aside.

Using the same oil, toss in the chopped garlic, dried red chillies and sambal olek. Once the aroma starts wafting up, gently pour some coconut water into the wok letting it simmer gently.

Add in the Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, sugar and ground white pepper and let simmer.

Turn the heat back up on high and toss the browned chicken back into the simmer sauce and give it a good mix.

Add in half a cup of the toasted coconut making sure to mix all ingredients in the wok as to coat everything.

As the sauce thickens up, add in the remaining coconut water and let it simmer gently.

Once the sauce thickens up again, turn off the heat and plate up.

Garnish with the remaining toasted coconut, shredded kaffir lime leaf and sliced red chillies.

Serve with a heaped bowl of coconut rice (Nasi Lemak).

We had ours with fried egg, sliced cucumber and store bought ikan bilis and peanut mix.

Delicious!

Occasionally we would go there for Chinese New Year as well. There were several reasons for this:

A.) To avoid the crowd
B.) To avoid the price hike that occurred at hawker stalls and restaurants during the festive season
C.) Keeping with the family tradition (odd I know).

But these were different times. Places like KFC had proper plates and cutlery and you would sit down to a full 2 course meal. I don’t think that ever caught on here in Australia, but trust me, it was pretty big in Asia.

Flash forward a few years, more fast food chains from America started opening up. Wendy’s, White Castle, Carl’s Jnr and Kenny Roger’s (yes, he started a fast food diner chain that’s still surviving in Malaysia).

Having grown up around that fast food culture in Asia, the higher end fast food chain (diners) such as Chili’s and TGIF was the next in line for when a little cash came into my pocket. Plus it made more sense dining in these higher ends at later years as they served alcohol

Coming to Melbourne, I was shocked that American diner styles weren’t too popular and it took some time to adjust to pub grub.

Lo and behold! 10 years on and we’ve had a sudden influx of American inspired diners in Melbourne. Here’s looking at a few

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Huxtaburger - Collingwood, Vic

Wondering around after a chocolate party one night, the Boy decided to drive towards Collingwood in search of food. I was convinced that he wouldn’t find a parking, but he proved me wrong. Once again, our plan of eating around where our car found a parking proved to be a gem.

Walking towards Huxtaburger, you will be daunted by the crowd waiting for their orders and pick-ups and the sheer volume of burger patties and buns that are constantly on the griller.

Having managed to snag a seat on the counter to watch the action, I discovered that I couldn’t eat 5 out of the 6 burgers as they use beef patties (duh!). I didn’t order the 6th one as it was a tofu burger and I was running on the logic that if I was going to commit carbocide, I would commit it full steam ahead with greasy meaty bacony chunks of meat.

Unbeknownst to me, you can order a burger with the lot (including the bacon) without the pattie for cheap! Gah!

So instead, I snacked on the Chipotle Crinkle Cut Chips ($3.00) which I found to be super fresh, crunchy and fluffy! It was probably a good thing that there was such a high demand and turnover of food, as everything we experienced was at its freshest!

Whilst I sat there enjoying my chips, the Boy enjoyed his The Huxtaburger - beef pattie, mustard, mayo, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce & pickles.

He said that it had the right amount of salt and balance of flavours, the only let down was the texture of the pattie. He did like the wrinkly burger buns!

Now that they have opened up an outlet in the CBD next to my work building I know what to do! Order their breakfast burger (which is just bacon!). HOORAY!

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Burgers
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday, 11:30am – 10:00pm
Friday to Saturday, 11:30am – 11:00pm
Sunday, 11:30am – 10:00pm

Address:
106 Smith Street
Collingwood VIC 3066

Tel: (03) 9417 6328

Website: http://www.huxtaburger.com.au/

Twitter: @HuxtaBurger

How to get there:

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Jus Burgers - South Yarra, Vic

I first tried the burgers at Jus Burgers when Taz, Az, Maz and I were wondering around Prahran Market one day. We were wandering around looking for a quick bite to eat and found Jus Burgers right across the road.

So off we went with groceries in tow.

I was ecstatic to see that there was other meat pattie options besides beef and happily ordered the Original Lamb ($12.00) which was a Western Australian Amelia Park lamb pattie char grilled and served with homemade mint chutney.

The other three had beef burgers. I can’t for the life remember what they had apart from Agnes (as she blogged about it), which was a mini cheeseburger with her choice of blue cheese

As I quite enjoyed their lamb burger when I went with the gang, the next time when I was grocery shopping with the Boy at Prahran Market, I dragged him to Jus Burgers for a quick carb fix.

I once again went with the lamb burger option, this time opting for the Turkish Lamb ($14.00) which came with Western Australian Amelia Park lamb char grilled, tahini yoghurt and Middle-Eastern slaw.

The Boy thinking that he’d be different ordered the Skinny Half & Half of Cheeseburger ($10.00) which made me laugh as it came sort of nekkid 0_0 with no top bun! It was a topless burger!

As if he needed to get any skinnier. This place appeals as it’s fast, convenient, has a good variety and I love their Turkish buns

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Burgers
Dining Style: Cafe

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30am – 10:00pm
Sunday to Monday, 11:30am – 9:00pm

Address:
364 Chapel Street
South Yarra VIC 3141

Tel: (03) 9827 1318

Website: http://jusburgers.com.au/

Twitter: @jusburgers

How to get there:

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Merrywell - Crown Casino, Southbank, Vic

Well, you know I’ve been to Merrywell before previously with a big group. Having to edit pictures of outings which he hasn’t been on is sometimes a bad thing for the Boy as he craves the food of the pictures he edits.

Naturally, when faced with such a large variety of carb-overload photos the last time I went to Merrywell, the Boy made it a point to head to Crown the next time we were in the city.

The problem with this plan was that we had already had our brunch and I wasn’t hungry.

Don’t let that stop the man! The Boy went right on ahead and ordered a K.F. Club Sam-wich ($15.00) - Buttermilk Battered Chicken with Bacon, Cheddar, Tomato, Mayo, Damper Roll.

The Boy can eat. It looked as good as I remembered (the burger, not the Boy He always looks good to me).

Well, I couldn’t just sit there and watch him eat, so I ordered Onion Rings ($6.00) to snack on and virgin The Merrywell Spiders to go.

It’d be rude not to.

I do like the atmosphere and charm of this place as it’s so American. It seriously makes you think twice about where you are once you walk out of the doors.

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: American
Dining Style: Casual Dining

Opening Hours:
Sunday to Thursday, Bar: 12:00pm – 11:00pm; Kitchen: 12:00pm – 11:00pm
Friday & Saturday, Bar: 12:00pm – 12:00am; Kitchen: 12:00pm – 11:00pm

Address:
Crown Casino
Corner of Clarendon Street & Crown Riverside
Southbank VIC 3006

Tel: (03) 9292 7468

Website: http://www.themerrywell.com.au/

Twitter: @themerrywell

How to get there:

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Phat Brats - Fitzroy, Vic

Well, okay. So this place isn’t about the burgers. It has hot dogs. Snags. Bratwurst. Wiener. Dong… you get the picture.

I was invited to Phat Brats along with Taz, Az, Raz and Maz to sample some of their offerings.

Dangerous to leave the order up to hungry people after a long work day.

We ordered 7 hot dogs between the 5 of us and ate them in a record 10 minutes.

What can I say. We inhaled it. So it must have been good

We had:

• Beer Smoked Bratwurst: local beer smoked brat sausage with sautéed onions, sauerkraut, Bavarian mustard and green pickle relish
• Chilli Dog: wagyu beef sausage with spicy ground beef, housemade chili sauce, PB cheese sauce and spring onion
• Wagyu Beef: wagyu beef sausage with housemade tomato sauce and mild mustard
• Lamb and Rosemary: lamb and rosemary sausage with smashed minted peas, housemade gravy, raw slaw and crumbled feta
• Pork and Sage: pork and sage sausage with braised apple and red cabbage, crisp shallots and horseradish cream
• Spicy Chorizo: spicy Spanish pork sausage with pinto beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream, jalapenos and housemade tomato sauce
• Po’ boy: crispy battered fish, spicy shrimp, shredded lettuce and aioli 

The gang as a whole loved the Beer Bratwurst the most (apart from me as I couldn’t eat it), so I voted for Lamb and Rosemary as my top dog, followed by the Spicy Chorizo. My options were limited as I could only eat 4 out of the 7 options we tried (so the rest of them are a much better judge overall than I am).

If that wasn’t enough, we also had a serve of their Cheesy fries and a serve of their Chilli fries. Loved loved the cheesy fries. The gang kindly offered to go with the vego version of the chilli fries so that I could partake in carbocide with them.

The dogs here were alright and I would return for the lamb or chorizo hot dog. I didn’t think much of their buns though, as I prefer the brioche buns from Snag Stand.

[Ms I-Hua dined as a guest of Phat Brats]

Check out:

I Eat Therefore I Am
Off The Spork

*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Food/ Cuisine: Hot Dogs
Dining Style: Casual Dining

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 12:00pm till late

Address:
320 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065

Tel: (03) 9419 5526

Website: http://www.phatbrats.com.au/

Twitter: @PhatBrats

How to get there:

Yup, you read right. Not any lemon chicken or sweet and sour pork though, it has to be the ones served at Chinese restaurants in Malaysia known as “Tai Chow” (literally means Big Fry). The closest I’ve got in Melbourne to an excellent sweet and sour pork dish akin to that from Malaysia is at Supper Inn (in Chinatown).

I was known to eat bowls of rice as long as either one of these dishes were ordered by my family. So much so that before anything else could be ordered by Madam Mummy (or whoever was hosting the dinner), my Gong Gong (grandfather) would bellow at the top of his lungs that, “I-Hua wants Lemon Chicken! Did we order lemon chicken?!”, in a tone that implied he’d throw a fit if my dish was not ordered.

In more recent times, my Po Po (god bless her soul) would also stop anyone from touching the food before I had taken a picture with my camera. No one was allowed to eat until I said, “Okay, Po Po!”. How I miss her so

It paid to be the youngest in the family (no longer the case!) but I usually got my way *wink*.

Food is such a big part of my life and I’ve written about the connections of each childhood dish to a certain memory about growing up with my Madam Mummy or my grandparents.

Indeed, I doubt I’d be having this blog today if I didn’t have the food-centric upbringing that I did.

As I always say, the Boy does good when replicating my favourite dishes in the kitchen, so sit back and enjoy as he showcases his version of Lemon Chicken.

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Lemon Chicken with Longan Recipe

Ingredients:
1 double Chicken Breast fillet
1/4 cup Cornflour mixed with 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
Spring Onions (sliced diagonally for garnish)
Red Chillies (sliced for garnish)

Marinade:
1/2 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Caster Sugar
1/2 tsp of Sesame Oil
1 tsp of Shaoxing Wine (available at most Asian groceries)

Lemon Sauce:
Juice from 1 Lemon & 1 tsp of finely grated Lemon zest
180ml of Chicken Stock
20ml of White Vinegar
1 Tbsp of Sweet Sherry
2 Tbsp of Caster Sugar
1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp of Longan Syrup (from canned Longan)
8-10 Longans (Canned Longans are available at most Asian groceries)
Slurry (mix 1/2 Tbsp of Cornflour with 2 Tbsp of cold Water)

Procedure:

Slice double breast fillet in half and marinate with salt, caster sugar, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine. Place in refrigerator for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Take both marinated fillets out and let stand till it reaches room temperature.

Dust fillets with the mixture of Cornflour and Tapioca Flour. Fry each side for about 3-5 minutes (depending on the thickness and size of the fillets) until golden brown.

Drain on wire rack and let them rest while you prepare the lemon sauce.

Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken stock, white vinegar, sweet sherry, caster sugar, Worcestershire sauce and longan syrup in a saucepan and heat over low heat till sugar dissolves.

Taste sauce and adjust accordingly (more sugar if you prefer it sweeter or lemon juice if you prefer it zing-ier).

Add in slurry and stir for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add in longans and turn heat off. Set sauce aside.

Slice chicken into strips and arrange on plate. Pour sauce over and garnish with sliced spring onions and chillies.

Serve with a side of rice for the ultimate comfort meal.

So what do you think? There are versions of sweet and sour pork out there with lychees, which is partly why we went down the path of Lemon Chicken with Longans

Would you be keen to try this recipe out?

One of the better events the Boy and I recently attended was hosted by Redheads at their Gourmet BBQ Festival at St Kilda earlier last month.

As you are all well aware off, I am pretty much a carnivore when it comes to eating. You can place a piece of cake, a bowl of salad, or a huge piece of lamb loin (or a plate of bacon) in front of me at any time of the day and I will pick the meat.

It’s just a no brainer.

So when the invitation read BBQ Masterclass to start at 9am sharp, you betcha horses that I was there (with the Boy in tow), bright eyed and bushy tailed.

We learnt heaps during the intense 4 hour masterclass with BBQ Guru, Chris Girvin-Brown, director of Urban Griller BBQ School. It was heaps of fun, class participation, belly filling and laughing during the class. We learnt a lot. Too  much to be put here on this post (as it’d bore you to tears I’m sure), so here are some of the key highlights!

First of all, do not waste time marinating your meats prior to BBQ-ing them. If you want them juicy and tender on the inside, you will need to brine them. All you need is 1 tablespoon of salt mixed with 1 litre of liquid and you’re ready to go. Meats brined overnight will tend to add 10-15% of the weight as each cell in the meat is plumped out.

Brine meats in saline mixed solutions or even juices. Do not marinate!

He proved this fact to us over and over during the class.

He did this first with the chicken wings. Barbecued chicken wings three ways:

• brined in salt & water;
• brined in salt, water & garlic; and
• no brine.

The wings without brine ended up being the driest and most burnt, whilst the other two were definitely more tender as the flesh was more succulent and relaxed.

Having done this a few times now in our home environment prior to attending the class, we knew this to be true.

Just to throw it into the mix (and to prove his point again), Chris barbecued up a pork loin which had been brined overnight in apple juice.

The resulting taste was a serious mindf**k experience. We could see and feel that we were eating BBQ pork, but the taste was completely apple juice *EGAD*.

The second lesson we learnt was to ignore the expensive contraptions from cookware and BBQ stores when it comes to roast racks. Instead, visit your nearest IKEA store. Yup! Get some of IKEA’s dish racks for $5 each, take out the plastic protectors at the bottom and voìla! You have yourself a cheap and highly useful roast/rib rack.

The third lesson, which Chris enlisted the help of two influential bloggers (DD and Taz), was to show the class how to get a bang-for-your-buck chicken curry dish without the fuss but all the pomp and prop.

Start with sawing an old coconut in half, toss in some (brined) chicken with a packet of curry (Chris used “Passage to India’s Korma Curry Chicken”) to cook in the coconut shells in the BBQ.

The result was more impressive than my sceptical mind gave it credit for and I couldn’t stop going back for seconds (thirds and fourths).

Our fourth lesson was around flavour injection. We bought two injectors*. ‘Nuff said.

*Okay fine, one was on behalf of Shellie, but we still did buy two that morning!

If you’re lucky, you will be able to take in the fifth lesson and learn that the best thing in life revolves around slow cooking. Chris fed us his 12 hour slow roast lamb shoulder which had been cooking overnight.

The meat completely fell off the bone. It was pure bliss.

Lamb chops. At 10am in the friggin’ morning. Lamb chops, which had been BBQ with nothing more than some heavenly dusting of salt and pepper.

Lamb chops. I ate three.

Lesson six. Season your meats well, even if it is just salt and pepper. If you’re feeling fancier hit up some spices.

Chris went on to the next lesson of barbecued beef and also to the secret behind Hog’s Breath slow cooked meats.

Slow cooking a big hunk of meat in a controlled temperature environment allows the meat to reach its optimum tenderness (I may or may not have made that scientific sounding fact up).

For best results, carve a slab of beef from the slow cooked portion, quickly sear it on both sides to reach a beautiful smoky charred layer and serve.

He showcased the differences between the barbecued and grilled beef.

My attention span was distracted during these turn of events, as I was constantly going back for more lamb and I don’t eat beef

Lesson nine involved my great DD once again as she was invited to mix and barbecue pineapple cubes in palm sugar, raw sugar and chilli flakes. Highly addictive.

What was the objective of this lesson? Fruits aren’t boring when you can BBQ them!

There were a few more tricks of the trade we learnt that morning which I simply can’t share with you in one post. Trust that I will use that knowledge well in my future career as BBQ Shifu.

In the meantime, we revelled in the glory of eating so much protein in the morning (before noon) by kicking back with some pints of cider soaking up the final sun rays of summer.

Hopefully you’ve managed to pick some tips up with this post. If you are keen to learn more, I suggest you enrol yourselves into an Urban Griller class soon

[Ms I-Hua & The Boy attended the BBQ Masterclass as guests of Redheads Gourmet BBQ Festival and GRAM Magazine]

For other grilled delights of the event:

I Eat Therefore I Am
The Very Very Hungry Caterpillar

Event Details:

Date: 1st to 3rd March 2013

Address:
South Beach Reserve
St Kilda Beach
Jacka Boulevard
St Kilda VIC 3182

Website: http://www.bar-bqfest.com.au/