Burch & Purchese Cake Display

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Read the rest of Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio, South Yarra, Melbourne (694 words)

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Luckily for me a few more intrepid souls were joining me on this journey and we embarked on a three-day journey of food, dessert, shopping and alcohol. Oh, and don’t forget talking in front of an audience of 300 people!

Some of the things we got up to…

Naked for Satan - 80c Pintxos and Beeeeer

Random Shop Front - AAAAARRGH!

Lost & Found - Easily my favourite vintage store in Melbourne

Oh Hai Chocolatesuze

Gorgeous vintage glasses

Burch & Purchese - Like walking into Willy Wonka's Factory

Chocolate and BACON... Don't mind if I do!

Soda Rock Diner - Lunch with the King

LuxBite - The mandatory Macaron stop

Izakaya Den - Late dinner

Riverland Bar and Cafe - A quick convention stopover

Cumulus Inc. - One last coffee for the road

Nuffnang Blogopolis 2011

Blogopolis Attendees

Nuffnang Blogopolis Conference

The Nuffnang Blogopolis Conference was the first time I’ve ever spoken at a conference and luckily for me my co-presenter was Danimezza, she’s a vibrant, fun-loving person and even though we only met for the first time the day of the conference we got along like fire. Dani and I tackled photography from our various points of view and while our knees may have been knocking from behind the podiums we got nothing but positive feedback from the crowd (watching the twitter stream while presenting was insanely distracting!).

I quickly realised that people didn’t realise that es&t was separated under 5 twitter accounts and saw more than a few, “What’s the es&t twitter account?!” messages pop up in the stream (I’m under @minhg btw lol). Also leaving your phone on the podium is a bad idea because you’ll get distracted by SMSes, which I found out the hard way (oops).

Being up early in the day left me free to cheer for Suze and Helen as they presented for their Masterclasses – Improving Blog Content and The Australian Blogosphere (Go Sydney!). The weekend was also a great opportunity to put some faces to a few of the Melbourne food bloggers I’d been stalking for so long. The rest of the day was filled with some pretty damn inspirational speakers, with two of my favourite bloggers of the day easily being Darren Rowse of Pro Blogger and Michael Aulia of Craving Tech.

There were so many other photography topics and subjects I could have covered but there’s only so much you can talk about in 45 minutes! If there’s anything you wanted to ask me about in more detail feel free to send me a message on twitter, or just send me an email at minh@eatshowandtell.com.

Blogopolis 2011

Was held on: Saturday 30 July 2011
ZINC at Fed Square,
Melbourne

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Working interstate can also get quite lonely. You can spend all day at the client site, everyone goes home and you have no choice but to grab a quick bite to eat and retire back at the hotel to either do more work or bum around in front of the television watching Foxtel. Fortunately, a few of my Sydney colleagues are also working here in Melbourne which means I have a few more buddies to go exploring the Melbourne food scene with.

One of my good mates and colleague Abs (who owns a great blog on movies, android, technology and the Lost television series) has been an interesting person to dine with. He is a Vegetarian and if you have been reading my posts over the past few years, I am definitely the total opposite to him to the extent that I have written a step by step guide on how to roast a suckling pig on a spit roast. Abs’s ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they knew he was dining with such a carnivore! As a compromise, over the past few weeks Abs and I have gone to a few pure vegetarian restaurants with Shakahari being one of them. The verdict? It was a total surprise, find out why.

Entrees

Chia, Buckwheat, Besan trio ($12.50)

We opt for all the dishes to come out at once but my eyes are fixated on the vibrant green of the coriander, almond and coconut dip. The dip is tangy, fragrant and is eaten with pieces of warm and crusty flatbread made from chia seeds, buckwheat and chickpea flour. The flatbread is good enough to eat on its own and I find myself snacking on it long after the dip has turned into a pile of nothing.

Quinoa Gnocchi ($14.50)

I’m not the biggest fan of gnocchi purely based on the fact that I’ve never had a version of it which has knocked me off my feet. But perhaps it’s not supposed to? It seems like almost comfort food to me. Due to this preconception, I was a bit skeptical when Abs ordered this as an entree. Not for the first time, my gut feeling was proven wrong. This dish was unique and the depth of flavour took me by surprise. Four gnocchi triangles made of red quinoa, rice flour and shredded veg are pan seared in a chilli olive oil. They didn’t taste like ordinary gnocchi at all, with the outer layer of the gnocchi having a crisp texture due to it being pan seared. The balsamic reduction took out a bit of the heaviness of the gnocchi, though the wilted asian greens were a bit underwhelming.

Mains

Satay Shakahari ($19.50)

I’m not ashamed to admit that I was lured by the words “deep fried” during the ordering process. This was a good dish but if I had to pick one which was the ‘weakest’ link this one would be it. The dish consists of deep-fried skewers of bean curd dressed with a mildly spiced peanut sauce. The beancurd was crisp and the sauce was packed with flavour but I felt that the side additions of pickles and blanched greens disrupted the balance of the dish as a whole. Either way, fried stuff is good especially when it is vegetarian, less guilty for me I suppose.

Croquettes de Chine ($19.50)

By now we are kind of regretting ordering so many dishes. They are all quite deceptive, with a lot of the ingredients causing us to be quite full. Either way, we power on with our meals like men on a mission, men who have not eaten for days. The croquettes come in the form of crunchy patties of mashed yam, potatoes, roasted macadamia nuts and veg. The roasted macadamia nuts really shine through and the patties themselves are good enough to eat on their own without the side of greens, kim chee and black ginger sauce.

Dessert

A Thai delight ($13.50)

We’ve finished our mains and feel that we are in a state of content. However, I manage to convince Abs that if we walk back to our hotel (2.5km) we can probably fit in some dessert. I might as well enjoy myself whilst travelling right?

I opt for the Thai delight which looked good on the menu, but didn’t quite deliver the delight as the name suggests. For $13.50 I expected a bit more from the duet of  baked cassava fudge,coconut blackrice pudding and fresh mango slices. I’ve been spoilt with similar renditions in Cabramatta for half the price, if not less.

Sri muka cheesecake ($13.50)

The cheesecake on the other hand renewed my faith in the desserts at Shakahari. The cheesecake was pandan flavoured and made from coconut mascaporne. I loved the short biscuit base as well, not a huge fan of thick based cheesecakes. Finally, its topped off with a dollop of kahlua coconut syrup which was the money shot to finish off a well-balanced dessert.

By now we are well and truly stuffed and make our way home on a chilly Melbourne night through the bustle of restaurant hustlers on Lygon St. It reminds me a bit of Chinatown in the Sydney CBD where restaurants wave their menus in front of your face and try to get you to come dine in their restaurant. I’m not sure we have a place for that in Australia as people are generally wary of that sort of behaviour.

Shakahari exceeded my expectations from a vegetarian restaurant and proved that I could survive a meal without eating meat. I’ve been told that Shakahari has been around for years and has a great reputation for vegetarian and vegan food which does not compromise on flavour or creativity. A quick look at the menu validates some of these rumours, with the majority of dishes containing a variety of Asian influences. If you are looking for a well-rounded vegetarian meal, Shakahari is a good option to explore. For the vegans and allergy sufferers out there, they also specify on the menu whether a dish is vegan, non-dairy or gluten-free.

Shakahari Vegetarian (03) 9347 3848 Carlton 203 Faraday St Carlton, 3053 www.shakahari.com.au

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I’m traveling with my old buddies Astroboy and Rin and our attitude towards making actual plans is rather blasé, so it’s rather by chance that we find ourselves peckish just as we’re in the Movida vicinity. It’s only 5.30pm when we arrive but we’ve managed to nab the last table and a round of drinks as we start to dissect the menu.

There’s something tantalising about a Tapas menu. It’s still early in the day and we’re more interested in snacking than having a full meal, but the size of the dishes lets us still go crazy with our choices. The specials board is written up above the bar entirely in Spanish, requiring a quick run through with our waiter but the food comes out fast and furious once we’ve finally decided.

Paletilla Iberico de Belotta $28.50 Spanish Iberico Ham, front leg, aged 24 months

Astroboy has had her eye on the Iberico ever since eying it on the menu, Jamon is her fatal weakness when it comes to a menu and she’s absolutely incapable of resisting its pull. The Iberico arrives in millimeter thin strips layered on a large plate glistening lightly, it’s buttery soft with the strips easily pulling apart to the touch and for 5 minute there’s only silence as the plate is steadily demolished.

Boquerones $8

My Spanish is non-existent but when our waiter explains that Boquerones is made up of anchovies and heirloom tomatoes sitting on a crunchy base, I’m sold on the concept. I make the mistake of trying to slice one in two and only manage to paint my shirt with a fresh squirt of tomato juice! One shot it is.

AMAZING. The sweetness of the heirloom tomatoes is almost overwhelming before the saltiness of the anchovies kicks in, and is all finished off by the crunch of the base. It’s a one bite wonder that has me wishing the quality of tomatoes in Sydney was close to anywhere this good. We’re so enamored that we order seconds and end up playing Scissors Paper Rock to determine who wins the last bite (Damn you Astroboy).

Bomba $4.50 Chorizo-filled Catalan Potato Bomb with a spicy sauce

Rin’s gravitated towards the Bomba, the potato chorizo combination is too hard for her to resist. The spicy sauce is oozing enticingly down the size of our Potato Bombs when they arrive and although they’re a little denser than I would prefer, they’re a spicy bite of fried goodness which are surprisingly filling.

Empanadilla $4 each

I’m not too sure what to make of the Empanadilla when they arrive at the table. After the visual pow of our previous dishes they’re looking a little lackluster and Plain Jane on the plate. Things cannot be anymore different once I’ve taken my first bite of the flaky pastry and experience the warming chicken filling. It’s like having a mini chicken puff pie in the palm of my hand!

Viera $16.50

My Scallop obsession is nowhere as crazy as Squishies is but I’m pretty close! I hear little apart from the word Scallops in the description given to us by the waiter but immediately bookmark it as my personal choice. The scallops have been seared and each sit in a little pool of cheesy sauce, all topped with a sprinkling of powdered bacon. It’s a brilliant flavour combination let down by the overcooked Scallops that makes the overall dish a little tough and sadly not one of my favourites.

Escabache Mussels $16.00 Mussels in Vinegar

The Mussels are a logical last choice, but surprisingly it’s not the mussels themselves but the broth they’re sitting in that makes it one of my favourite dishes. The vinegar and lime as well a generous handful of salt has created a lightly green tinted earthy broth with salty overtones that I can’t stop myself from drinking. In the end I surrender to the inevitable and mop it all up with the leftover bread!

My girls are trashed on a single drink each and by the time we stumble out at 7pm the restaurant is packed out with punters eagerly eying our soon to be empty table. Service is busy but attentive, with staff popping by diligently picking up empty plates and asking if we’re up for just one more dish.

Eating at Movida Next Door makes me wish that Sydney had more casual Tapas style dining options closer in the CBD. That said, it’s not a cheap stopover and between us we easily drop $50 each once drinks are calculated into the bill, but there’s a sense of freedom that comes with being able to simply stop by and be assured of great food, drinks and atmosphere without feeling an obligation to order a main and dessert!

MoVida Next Door
Cnr Flinders Street and Hosier Lane,
Melbourne, 3000
Ph: (03) 9663 3038
Web: http://www.movida.com.au/next_door.html

Tue-Thurs 5pm-late, Fri & Sat 12-12 (all day dining), Sun 2pm-9pm (all day dining). Selected lunchtime reservations available upon request. Closed Mon.

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I’ve heard so much about Vue de Monde; every time I go to Melbourne and not have at least dropped by Bistro Vue, I get a pitying look and a consolatory pat. Well, pity looks and consolatory pats no more! I’ve finally dined at Vue de Monde… and boy, have I ever been missing out!

When we were comfortably seated and had our sparkling water poured, our main waiter informed us that there are no written menus as they like to surprise their customers with what will come next, but we will be emailed the menu of what we had after dinner. Interesting! He sketched over our menu options (a la carte, x-course degustation) and asked us if we knew what we wanted. I hate to say it, but we’re addicted to degustations and honestly can’t say no to them – the more courses there are, the more we are interested!

Customised 'Ware

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Post tags: beef, Dessert, favourites, kangaroo, vegetarian

We looked for a place for breakfast the next day (with me looking forward to have some eggs benedict), but I couldn’t decide where to eat and dithered so much that when I finally made up my mind, it was time for brunch. Actually, truth to be told, I gave up and decided to go to our planned lunch place a tad earlier.

Brunetti came at a friend’s very high recommendation. Kathy had named this place as the place with “awesome cakes!!” and it is so awesome that whenever she travelled to Melbourne for work she would make it a necessity to go there everyday. With a comment like that, F shuffled around our must-go-to Melbourne eats to put it at the top of the list.

Despite some debate as to which way down Little Collins St we should continue walking (I panicked and thought I had taken F the wrong way haha), we managed to find it and was greeted with the sight of what looked like a mini mob.

Mmm... sandwiches

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Post tags: Dessert

I apologise for taking so long to blog about our gastronomic Easter long weekend journey, but there’s just one more restaurant to blog about before this series comes to a close. Well, two if you include this one.

I also would like to apologise for the photos. The restaurant wasn’t horrendously dark, but the ceilings were high and the candle slyly played havoc on the white balance. Ugh, so frustrating!

I’ve seen a couple of episodes of the Fifteen show where Jamie Oliver teaches disadvantaged kids cooking skills (and inevitably life skills), but I never thought much of his restaurant in Melbourne. That is until my fellow foodie, with eyes aglow, stated that we’re going to Fifteen and that’s final.

Fifteen’s entrance is in a small alley, which gave off the vibe of some secret food joint only the privileged knows about. The vibe was strengthened by glossy, dark wooden stairs taking you down into depths unknown. And then you notice the brightly coloured spray painted decor on the walls, which made me wonder if we had gone through the right door.

Wall decor

Almost at the same time that I noticed the spray paint, I saw the kitchen. I was intensely curious and transfixed by the sight of chefs going about doing their thing, seemingly totally oblivious to those coming down the stairs peering into their world. Being the big klutz I am, I almost tumbled down the stairs from trying to see more of the kitchen and what they were cooking.

Through the looking glass

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Post tags: Dessert, duck, Seafood

In continuing our foodie weekend in Melbourne, and despite being still relatively full from breakfast at European, we lazily headed towards the heart of Melbourne’s CBD for lunch.

Lord of the Fries, I belatedly found out, is a vegetarian burger joint. It has two burger joints actually: one is a store front with two sides opened towards Flinders St and into Flinders St Station, and the other is a tiny store on the corner of Elizabeth St and Flinders St. It is unmistakeable with its bold white on red sign and the line of people impatiently waiting for their turn. The lack of seating on the Flinders St side (there are several communal benches inside the station) had us finding a shady spot on the steps of Federation Square (off to the side of course to avoid being trampled on). It was kind of fun actually – kind of like a fast food picnic!

The restaurant boasts of having a lot of yummy sauces to go on your hot chips, as well as two sizes of burger to choose from. Their website proudly shows off the dimensions of the burger, but like with everything else, it’s kind of hard to really grasp how big they actually are until you see it for yourself.

Regular-sized Burger with Spicy Patty ($5.45), and Mini-sized Burger with Original Patty ($2.95)

How to hold your Regular-sized Burger *nom*

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Breakfast has never been so good

I know this might sound like a bit of a daft thing to do, but on discovering it was a long weekend, we bought tickets to fly down to Melbourne… to eat. And I know this is a bit late in coming, but the subsequent posts from me will be detailing our gastronomic weekend in Melbourne.

I’ve never had eggs benedict before and thought that I couldn’t go wrong having my first taste of it in Melbourne, being the supposed food capital of Australia and all. I found European on Breakout Melbourne and their review made it sound quite promising.

I think we came at the height of the breakfast period at 10:30 am, as there weren’t many free tables left and we were seated near the back (I was so sad! It was gorgeous outside and the photos would have turned out so much better).

My lamentations stopped when I realised we were seated right next to the service window. We could see the (seemingly disembodied) heads of the chef and kitchen hands busily working away, with the chef tersely asking for things to be done or if it was done.

Glimpse into the kitchen

It was kind of cool to hear the chef gently berating his cooks for not communicating and one of the waitress for taking plates all willy-nilly.

Eggs Benedict ($17.50)

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Post tags: Breakfast, egg