Saturday, July 21, 2007

Ferrero

Each time I walk past this Greek cafe called Nikos at Oakleigh, I have to stop and gaze at their spellbinding, mind-numbing cake/pastry display :D Promising myself that I would only try their enormous cakes when a special occasion arises, the opportunity finally presented itself today when I met up with some family friends. Everything in this cafe is impressive - from the size of the sandwiches to the number of sweet treats sold... as well as their swarthy looking waiters serving their famous coffee and speaking in unintelligible Greek! I ordered a slice of Ferrero and learnt exactly how rich Greek cakes can be - layers of chocolate, sponge cake and an inch thick of fresh, sweet cream sandwiched between pastry and topped with macadamia nuts and more chocolate!


Ginormously sized cakes in the display :P

The above mentioned mind numbing pastry display - we counted at least 70 types!

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stormiii at 11:25 pm

0cups of tea

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Koko Black!

From L to R: Rum & Raisin, Koko Black 74, Creole (coffee), Candied Orange, Bailey's, Hazelnut cluster, Chilli chocolate truffle, Hazelnut trio, Pistachio, Belgian truffle, Sienna strawberry, Raspberry puree, Earl Grey, Champagne truffle, Almond rum and Caramel...

My latest discovery in this land of milk and honey :D - a chain of chocolate salons (not stores) with that distinctive European air called Koko Black. One can sit down for a nice glass of chocolate martini or pick and choose from their rows of exquisitely handmade chocolates...

stormiii at 11:52 pm

4cups of tea

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Margie & Ralf

Emi and I were invited to Margie & Ralf's wedding (well, more like Emi was invited and I just gleefully tagged along as her "partner") this morning. The venue was at Fortnums, a charming white-washed restaurant at the rustic village of Sassafras, Mt. Dandenong. I've been fortunate enough to head into the country each weekend, and this is one place that I would definitely return to check out the little curio shops and tearooms that serve yummylicious Devonshire tea and scones :D

A cosy function for just 40 people.

Aah! Chocolate mudpie cupcakes with pink and purple icing in place of the traditional wedding cake :D

Ralf and Margie recite their wedding vows.

A local tradition, these white horseshoes are handmade by the ladies of the family and then given to the new bride to keep for the next generation of brides :)

At my table - with (L to R) Allison & Francis from Sarawak, Suwan & Andrew from Singapore.

Chicken cordon bleu for mains - love the stuffing!

A pink and purple cupcake to take home in Chinese takeaway boxes :D

stormiii at 7:19 pm

1cups of tea

Friday, July 13, 2007

Min Thanh

The long awaited and much talked about birthday dinner with some of my new friends in Melbourne :) Min Thanh II is located along the gourmet stretch of Richmond and it serves a pretty wide range of Vietnamese-Chinese cuisine along with daily yum cha specials. The place filled up quickly with the Friday evening crowd and there was even a line of customers waiting patiently next to the roast meat section :P

We started off with the prerequisite fried spring rolls and the birthday boy's choice - crab noodles. My eyes perked up at the dish's resemblance to my favourite chilli crab but this was just a simple sweet and sour sauce. While the crabmeat was fresh and sweet, it was not as succulent or tasty as Sri Lankan crabs... :D Still, the addition of egg noodles was a nice difference.

Next on our orders - roast pork and char siew, steamed flounder with pork and mushrooms (chef's recommendation apparently), crispy squid with garlic and chilli and deep fried duck with taro.

After a complimentary serving of fruits, we rounded off the meal with their delectable mango pudding... hmm!

stormiii at 11:53 pm

0cups of tea

Monday, July 09, 2007

A Daylesford weekend


Emi, Eza and myself hopped into our chilli red Barina and headed out into the Victorian countryside for some much needed greenery :D The twists and turns in the road revealed beautiful landscapes dotted with sheep/horses and the occasional cottage... We reached the popular spa town of Daylesford in the Macedon Ranges after 2 hours - just in time for a morning coffee! Armed with my foodie research (as per normal), we found Locantro off 87 Vincent St :)

A well known chocolate store and cafe in Daylesford, Locantro was humming with daytrippers when we entered it's wonderful warmth and aroma. Emi had a pistachio chocolate, Eza her decadent hot choc with skinny milk and for me, a latte and slice of citrus pie... yum :D


Feeling refreshed, we strolled down the main street and peeked into more interesting shops full of curios or more... food! A steamed up window displaying more sweet treats!

"Yes, we know, you were just looking for the website... " Creative alright!

Main street of Daylesford - a quiet two lane street. Almost like a frontier town :D

Even dogs have their day at Daylesford!

Here's one for you, Dad - a purply looking Morris Minor.


We found some lavender growing by the road - truly a treat for winter :)


The highlight of our day-trip was the 2 hour spa package at Pepper Springs - consisting of dips in the famed mineral pools, steam/sauna and a 45 min relaxation massage (male masseuse no less!) for A$135. Housed in a beautiful yellow building, Pepper Springs felt very much like some place in Tuscany :D




Our 2 course lunch at Pepper Springs's Deco Restaurant (fine dining!) was a most quiet experience as we were careful about not speaking too loudly and minding our P's and Q's.. kidding. I enjoyed the Calamari with greens and gnocchi (lightly flavoured with olive oil and balsamic vinegar) and for mains, the Pork Chop with orange sauce, red cabbage sauerkraut and mash potato. Yum.

Dinner back in the city at Lygon St (char kway teow with cockles! & teh tarik) and I was a happy girl :)

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stormiii at 7:00 pm

1cups of tea

Friday, July 06, 2007

The Citay....

Flinders train station - the most famous meeting place in Melbourne!

Finally made into Melbourne city today :D Now, I realised why I decided on this city...! The vibrancy, the people, the culture and beautiful architecture really cheered up a wet and dreary afternoon :)

"New beautiful - Ugly Betty" ... people scurrying to and fro after work.


Federation Square - a super modern set of buildings that houses the Tourist Centre, ACMI (where I hid from the drizzle and watched free animation films) among others.



I was captivated by this building because of it's "Moorish" architecture - it's apparently a theatre called "Majestic"?


Met some of Emi's friends from SG and Thailand at Khin Khao (242 Swanston St), a restaurant famous for their yummy pad thai and equally yummy Thai waiters (but likely gay!) :D I'm enjoying the "Banquet B" menu with Eza. Stay tuned for more foodie adventure...

stormiii at 2:09 am

0cups of tea

Monday, July 02, 2007

Taste of Singapore!

Curry chicken, vegetables and lontong!!

There's Emi at her favourite pastime :)

Before I went over to Melbourne, I asked Emi if she needed any foodstuff from SG and she replied - "I bring food back to SG; don't worry, MEL has all the asian food that you need!" True enough, after a hearty bowl of beef combination pho and crisp fried spring rolls at Richmond, hot chocolate and huge cakes at funky Groove Train, Bridge Road... I was almost a believer and last night's dinner totally sealed the deal :D

Emi introduced me to Clayton - home to many asian students at the Monash campus and rows of asian groceries and fantastic cheap eats. Korean BBQ? Thai? Vietnamese-Chinese? Indian? Nasi padang? You've got it! I was curious to see if there was a true blue SG eatery too and not one of those Malaysian/SG outlets that are common in Adelaide. She pointed out to a corner shop with multi-coloured light bulbs and a huge, RED sign which proudly declared its fare, "Taste of Singapore"!!

Turns out that a Singaporean Malay family opened this place nearly 6 years ago (or more); so imagine my delight when I saw that they served all the local favourites as well as SG style nasi padang :P The owner was kind enough to chat for a while too and wished me well on this new adventure. It's always nice to know that people have taken a similar route and succeeded in making something for themselves in a foreign land. More to come soon!

stormiii at 12:58 pm

2cups of tea