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Lunching Near MCG – GG’s

Australia, Melbourne, Reviews May 12, 2013 Comments: 19

Aussies especially Melbournians love their football! So whenever there’s a match, there will be hundreds of people who go to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds). I am a failed-Melbournian because I have actually never been to the MCG and most definitely do not watch footie Sorry to all footie fans out there! Reason behind this story is because recently, I was lucky enough to be invited by Wrights PR and GG’s to try out their brand new restaurant in East Melbourne super close to the MCG.

MCG

Source: Wikipedia

As a matter of fact, they named the restaurant GG’s for two reason, one for Grandpa Guiseppe and the other G stands for the MCG ~ It was a week day lunch so I ducked out of work and headed to Clarendon Street in East Melbourne, just be careful you don’t get confused and go to Clarendon Road in South Melbourne

I rarely go to East Melbourne and only know of the hospitals around there, but I forgot that it is actually a very nice quiet city suburbs ~ GG’s is just opposite the Fitzroy Gardens is a fairly large restaurant with a long wide bar area and also casual and more intimate tables.

Bubbles

I wasn’t sure who was going to be there, so was glad to see a few familiar faces Joyce (Mel Hot or Not) and Catherine (Petit Miamx) We were immediately introduced to Chef Paul Dunlop who has previously worked for George Calombaris at St Katherine’s in Kew.

Chef Peter Dunlop

We started off with wine probably not a good idea to drink too much at lunch time when I have to go back to work but…it’s worth it hehe

Bubbles

We were then given some starters to share, at the front is the fried green olives with gremolato mayo, I don’t eat olives so didn’t try this but I know the others on my side of the table really liked them. On the left is the Arancini stuffed with mozarella, parmesan and peas, it was my favourite starter with the melting parmesan cheese gushing out The chicken wings were also tasty with smoked almond vinaigrette.

Starters – Fried green olives, Arancini, Chicken Wings

Grilled Haloumi courgette pickle

I’m a fan of Haloumi cheese love the saltiness and bouncy texture, so I knew I was going to like this dish with the chargrilled haloumi cheese, it was also paired up nicely with the thin ribbons of courgettes and mint leaves.

Crab crostini, shaved fennel, tarragon

Another starter that was my favourite was the crab crostini with shaved fennel and tarragon, I really liked the soft, delicate and sweet taste of the crab and was surprised that the tarragon complimented it so well.

Smoked ocean trout sesame, soused cucumber, apple

The smoked ocean trout with soused cucumber, apple and a sesame wafer was very light and refreshing with a slight tang, perfect way to ignite our appetite for the other warm mains that were coming ~

Pan seared Tasmanian salmon, fennel puree, caramelised fennel, bisque sauce

We were then offered a pan seared Tasmanian salmon on top of fennel puree, caramelised fennel and bisque sauce. I never knew fennel puree could be so smooth and have such a creamy texture, I also liked the caramelised fennel which was sticky and sweet.

Lamb neck, shallot puree, black garlic

I’m not a lamb-eater, but couldn’t help try a little bit, because the it smelt so good. I’m glad the lamb wasn’t too gamey and had the perfect fall off the bone texture. I also liked the black garlic that is lighter in flavour and not as pungent as the average white garlic ~ I knew Mr Bao would have loved this dish! He likes his lamb!

Tomotoes basil, buffalo mozzarella balsamic

As a side we were given a medley of tomatoes basil, buffalo mozzarella and a balsamic dressing. I thought it was a nice palate cleanser after having the more stronger tasting lamb dish. I particularly liked the buffalo mozzarella cheese.

Unfortunately, that was the last dish I got to try and I had to skip dessert because I had to rush back to work I was super sad when Catherine told me the lemon curd cake was to die for! Please go to Catherine’s post and Joyce’s post to see the dishes I missed ~

I enjoyed the lunch here at GG’s and I’m definitely going to schedule a time to go back to try their desserts

Daisy@Nevertoosweet attended this event as a guest of Wrights PR and GG’s all opinions are honest and based on time of visit.

Handshaken Lamington Milkshake – Lady Bower

Australia, Melbourne, Reviews May 9, 2013 Comments: 27

I recently heard from someone that everyday 5 new cafes open in Melbourne. It’s quite an alarming figure, but I definitely believe this to be true. There are seriously so many cafes it’s practically impossible to keep up, even if you treated it as a full time job, you would need to go to at least 3 to 5 cafes a day to go through them all! The cafes don’t only open up in Melbourne CBD, there are also those cute hipster cafes in further out suburbs. Lady Bower is definitely one of these hidden cafes, Mr Bao had to be somewhere in Reservoir and asked me to go with him.

It was an early Sunday morning, I wasn’t going to just go to Reservoir with him and wait…so I did some research and found Lady Bower a café. I realised Byran (Fat Boo) had blogged about it before and enjoyed the dishes. Our car pulled up in front of the café at around 9:30am and I was surprised to see such a large venue, which spans over 2 to 3 stores.

Cake display

Walking towards the café, the waitress eagerly opens the door for us, I was immediately attracted to the glass cabinet where they display their cakes. You could tell instantly that they were homemade which is great!

Mocha $4

My mocha was a good temperature but tasted more like a hot chocolate than a mocha and would have been better if it had more coffee to balance it out.

Latte $3.5

Mr Bao got a latte with the house blend from 5 Senses and described it as quite buttery with low acidity and floral notes. He ordered another one after the meal and asked for a strong latte but found that one too be to strong and sour.

Breakfast of Champions $18

Mr Bao found the menu to be more ‘vegetarian-friendly’ so he immediately said he’s getting the Breakfast of Champions which was Lady Bower’s version of the big breakfast. It has the usual bacon, beans, mushrooms but then what surprised me were the meatballs! I didn’t think we were going to have meatballs for breakfast again anytime soon The meatballs were delish! Homemade, full of flavour and wonderfully light. The thick cut bacon was also Mr Bao’s favourite, I think it’s a trend because many cafes are now serving their bacon super thick ~ Unfortunately, the poached eggs were a little overcooked and the yolk wasn’t rushing out as I expected.

I chose the smashed avocado with a dollop of sour cream and chilli oil on the side topped with a poached egg. Once again my poached egg wasn’t as runny as I would have liked, but nothing beats the silky and buttery goodness of the smashed avocado and the sour cream just made it even more indulgent ~ Mr Bao did like the chilli oil and found it too spicy but I loved it, and think it’s a great idea and definitely taking this idea home with me

Smashed avocado with sour cream, chilli oil and poached eggs $13.5

I thought I had misread the specials menu when I saw a handshaken lamington milkshake. I asked the waitress and she said ‘yup it’s a lamington flavoured milkshake’, I couldn’t resist and immediately ordered it. It surprised me when she came over with a large glass jar, but then it made sense to me because it’s handshaken they must have shook it in the jar ~ Very clever! They did a great job getting the lamington flavour spot on! It had the chocolate base, with a slight tanginess from what I assume to be strawberry jam and also desiccated coconut YUM! Highly recommend you trying this!

Handshaken Lamington milkshake $4.5

To finish up Mr Bao and I shared the pear and chocolate ganache cupcake, the cake itself was deliciously moist and light, while the chocolate ganache was sweet and rich. Only complain would be the amount of ganache and the tiny piece of pear, with a thicker layer of ganache it would have been perfect

Pear and chocolate ganache cupcake $3.5

We were definitely impressed with this little cafe in Reservoir and even though its out of our way, I definitely recommend it for locals in the area and I’m coming back just for the lamington milkshake!

An Extra Day – 8 Days Cafe

Australia, Melbourne, Reviews May 4, 2013 Comments: 28

Dearest Readers, have you ever thought, how nice it would be for us to have 8 days instead of 7 in a week. We would work 5 days, have the weekends to spend with family and friends and on the 8th day…it’s for ourselves…we can do whatever we want – sleep, eat and rest! I am forever complaining that I need more time in a day, I simply don’t have time to do everything that I want and need to >_< Mr Bao and my friends are always telling me, I need to slow down but some how I can never just sit and home and do nothing.

8 Days Cafe

Pushing my wishful thinking aside, we may not have 8 days in a week but we can go the 8 days cafe in Armadale for brunch and try to pretend that its the 8th day and we have it all to ourselves I was super lucky and was invited by BBFF Shellie and 8 days cafe to try out their brunch menu last week on Anzac day. I’ve driven past before but haven’t had the chance to try and since Ms I-Hua did a post, I knew it was going to be great ~

Mocha $3.5

We were given a small table in the corner, which was nice and quiet and thankfully had good lighting I started off with my regular mocha to be slightly watery but nonetheless warmed me up and made my tummy grumble as it was getting hungry.

Smashed avocado & Persian fetta on 6 grain w/smoked bacon & poached eggs $18

First up was the smashed avocado with Persian fetta with smoked bacon and poached eggs on a thick slice of bread. I’m a fan of avocado and fetta, but this Persian fetta was amazing it was very smooth and not at all crumbly. Would love to know which brand they use so I can buy some myself ~ The bacon had a slight smokiness to it which made it even better. This was probably my favourite dish

Toasted Glicks bagel w/smoked salmon,spinach, avocado, poached eggs & chilli lime hollandaise $18

Another avocado dish, this time it was a bagel with smoked salmon, spinach, avocado poached eggs finished with some chilli lime hollandaise sauce. They use Glicks bagels here which in my opinion is probably one of the best bagels you can get in Melbourne, it has all that perfect chewy but soft texture. I also liked the chilli lime hollandaise which really helped cut through some of the richness from regular hollandaise.

Baked eggs w/ Tuscan bean cassoulét ,salsicchia & petite rocket salad $16

Next up was the baked eggs with Tuscan beans, salssichia which I found out was an Italian sausage and rocket on scattered on top. It was a very large serving! I don’t think I could have even been able to finish half if I was by myself, glad that we shared it between 4 of us I loved the spiciness from the salsicchia and sauce and the beans were nice and tender.

Avocado & Persian fetta on sourdough w/ chilli, basil & minted broadbean dressing $17

We then got another avocado and Persian fetta dish but this one was vegetarian dish with a chilli, basil and minted broadbean dressing. This is super healthy and probably a good choice after a big night out and you really need a cleanse the next day. But probably a bit too healthy for me

Croissant French Toast with poached pears, candied pistachios, Crème fraîche and maple syrup $16

Now I’ve had different types of French Toast using a variety of breads, but never have I had one made from croissants. But it’s actually a genius idea because the texture of the croissant makes a great sponge and soaks up the eggy mixture. It’s then topped with wonderfully poached pears, candied pistachios and a dollop of Crème fraîche. My only complaint would be it needed a little more maple syrup ~

Spanish omelette with potato, piquillo pepers, onions, sauce ramesco, jamon and rocket salad $17

When I first saw this, I thought this was a pizza, but in turned out to be a Spanish omelette with potato, peppers and onion filling topped with jamon and rocket. I really liked the texture of the omelette which was rather light and kind of souffle like ~

Wagyu beef burger, brioche bun, gruyere cheese,smoked bacon,tomato relish & sliced pickles w/fat chips, crisp baby cos,tomato & aioli $21

Just when I thought the food has stopped coming, the waitress brings over a mini Wagyu beef burger with cheese, bacon, tomato and chips served with tomato sauce and aioli. I’m so glad that there were 8 of us sharing this burger. Jo (Second Helping) did a great job and was able to divide this burger into 8 perfect bite size for use to try! Thank you I really liked the Wagyu beef pattie and thought it was very flavoursome and nothing beats melted cheese on top.

Cherry ripe mud cake

Clearly, we didn’t need any more food but… Veda (The Hospitality Window) may have made a comment to the owners that I love my desserts and told them my blog name and soon enough they brought over a huge slice of Cherry Ripe Mud Cake. I was slightly embarrassed but at the same time so glad that I got to try it! It’s super rich, chocolatey to the max with a thick layer of cherry coconut filling.

I had a lovely breakfast here at 8 Days cafe and enjoyed their dishes as well as meeting new bloggers that I haven’t met before Would also like to thank 8 Days cafe for inviting me! Mr Bao was quite jealous of all the photos I had posted on Instagram so I think we’ll be coming back soon.

8 Days Cafe on Urbanspoon
Daisy@Nevertoosweet attended this event as a guest of Iron Chef Shellie and 8 Days Cafe.

Morning Tea – At The Gables

Australia, Melbourne, Reviews May 1, 2013 Comments: 35

I love afternoon teas And I’m sure if you’ve read my blog for a while you will know hehe I love everything about it the concept of girls ( and maybe boys) sitting together enjoying scones and just chatting about everything ~ I’ve been very spoilt and tried out many afternoon teas in Hong Kong, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem as common in Melbourne.

The Gables

That’s why when Alice and Annette my colleagues asked if I’d like to join them for afternoon tea at The Gables, I immediately jumped at the opportunity The name ‘The Gables’ immediately reminds me of the book that I use to read as a child ‘Anne of Green Gables’, have you read that book before? I use to love it and read the whole series! Anyhow, I have heard of The Gables House and Mansion in Malvern East before but didn’t know that they offered afternoon tea every Wednesday for $45 and Sunday $55 both include a class of French Champagne.

We booked for the early Sunday seating which started at 11am and ends at 1pm, not very long for an afternoon tea and it should really be called a morning tea instead There is ample parking in front of The Gambles mansion, its a Victorian style house made out of brick with white fences all around it ~ very nice and can see why many people choose to this as their wedding venue.

Dessert Buffet

Upon walking in, we were immediately greeted by a friendly waitress and also a large table filled full of desserts That’s when I realised that desserts was going to be served in a buffet style ~ I couldn’t have been happier!

The waitress then led us to a room on the right where there were 5 to 6 tables, we were placed in the middle of the room, which was fine, but we would have wanted a little more privacy and could hear the conversations from the tables around us and would have preferred a table closer to the window.

Champagne

Another waitress then came to offer us a glass of Champagne but unfortunately, I couldn’t see or remember the type but I know it was from France hehe it was a rather light tasting Champagne and not my usual favourite Moet & Chandon.

Very quickly our ginormous 3-tiered stand full of savouries arrived at our table My colleagues aren’t really use to going out with a food blogger, that’s why I quickly took the photos and didn’t want to take took long taking the photos. So sorry in advance for the not-so-great photos ~

Sandwiches

Starting at the bottom, there’s a range of little triangle sandwiches with a variety for us to choose from – egg and lettuce, chicken and chives and smoked salmon with caper berries. I was impressed how fresh and soft the bread was and the filings in the sandwiches were also delicious. If I was to be picky, they would have looked better if the sandwiches were cut into little squares instead to make them look fancier

Mini pies and quiches

The middle layer had mini beef and burgundy pies and spinach and feta quiches, unfortunately they look and tasted like supermarket-bought quality. The fillings for them were nice but the pastry was very thick and not very buttery which was a shame.

Scones plain and whole wheat mixed berry

Scones plain and fruit scones

At the very top layer was the scones, plain ones and other which we can’t work out, it tasted like whole wheats with some mixed berries. It was also served strawberry jam which looked and tasted more like strawberry jelly and also whipped cream. I found the scones to be strangely moist and dense and not as fluffy as I would have liked.

Jam, cream and butter

The afternoon tea also provided unlimited teas, they had a good variety of teas from the regular English Breakfast through more exquisite teas such as green tea with jasmine flowers and Galle District OPI Orange Pekge) tea.

English Breakfast Tea

Even though the savouries and scones weren’t that exciting, I was super excited about the dessert buffet on the large table in the foyer. They had such a large range of goodies macarons, cupcakes, variety of slices, mini tarts, fresh fruit and little chocolate profiteroles.

Dessert Buffet Table

So many to choose from! We had a hard time deciding! But once again, I recognised some of the desserts and have seen them at many cafes, I suspect from the same supplier.

My selection

I am trying to learn the art of eating in moderation so I only got a small plate and tried a few things Starting from the left the coffee panna cotta tasted more like coffee mousse topped with a thick layer of coffee jelly and dollop of whipped cream. The berry jelly and chocolate mousse was nice and smooth, but the pistachio macaron shell was too hard and had barely any filling and last but not least the mixed berry cheesecake was actually my favourite, velvety rich cream cheese with crushed berries through it.

Regrettably, I wouldn’t describe this afternoon tea to be one of the best, but it was certainly lots of fun and good to spend some time with the girls. We have now moved into different teams and work on different sites, so it’s hard for us to meet up. I would still recommend you visiting The Gables for afternoon tea if you’re looking for a nice quiet place near the city for tea that also offers a dessert buffet this is the place It’s also perfect for Mother’s day since it’s just around the corner, a shame my mother will only eat Chinese food and afternoon tea is out of the question

The Gables
15 Finch St, Malvern East
Melbourne Victoria
PH: +61 3 9563 6108

Airport Run – The Premises

Australia, Melbourne, Reviews April 29, 2013 Comments: 35

Over Easter Win Win came to Melbourne for a super short 6 day trip by herself ~ Initially she was going to come back with Aden (my nephew) but he had school and couldn’t come. I was so disappointed >_< I really wanted to spend some time with him. Even though it was only 6 days, Win Win and I had the best time! It’s rare that we get to spend time just the two of us ~ We were eating, drinking and shopping way too much!

The Premises

But why must good times end so quickly Because very soon she had to leave on Easter Sunday on the earliest flight back to Hong Kong at 8:30am. Meaning we had to get up at 5:30am to make sure she gets to the airport on time. Mr Bao was great and didn’t even complain once about getting up so early, I promised him that we’ll go to a nice place for breakfast afterwards in compensation We made it to the airport in time, said our goodbyes and Win Win was on her journey back home, while we went for breakfast.

Thanks to Catherine (Petit Miamx) who wrote a post about the cafes that will be open over the Easter holidays, I chose ‘The Premises’ which has been on my list for the longest time ~ But never had the chance, as it’s in the West and we don’t venture out there very often (we should though!). The Premises is quite well-known among the Melbourne cafe scene and have been known for their consistently good coffee and breakfast dishes ~

Mocha $3.8

We got to the Premises a bit early and they weren’t open yet, but the waitress was very friendly and told us they’ll be ready in a few minutes. About 15 minutes later they were open and ready and so was my tummy it was growling hahaha it needed food We started off with our usual drinks. My mocha was pleasant and gave me the coffee hit I needed to stay awake ~

Single origin magic $4

Mr Bao’s single origin magic was by Seven Seeds but sorry can’t remember which country it was from but he described it was more acidic and quite strong. While I found it to be a little too strong for me

Pan fried Free range eggs on organic toast with wild mushrooms, crumbled feta and hollandiase $19

I was tossing between the pancakes or this special which was organic toast topped with wild mushroom, crumbled feta, poach eggs and hollandaise sauce. It was a simple healthy and vegetarian breakfast and exactly what I wanted, the mushrooms were buttery, crumbled feta was creamy and salty. Eggs were poached perfectly just look at yolk running out ~ last but not least the hollandaise sauce was divine! I don’t want to know much butter was used

Yolk Porn in Action

Mr Bao chose a dish in the regular breakfast menu and ordered the pan-fried sardine with saffron potato salad and fennel salad with a poached egg. It was a very Moroccan inspired dish with the cumin, fennel and saffron. Every component in this dish was nice but I think this was more of a lunch dish and too pungent for us in the morning, so we didn’t enjoy it as much. But nonetheless a good dish and would recommend if you like those Moroccan flavours

Pan-fried sardine fillets with a saffron potato, pickled fennel salad, haydari and soft poached egg $18

I’m not sure if Mr Bao was really still hungry or if he just wasn’t satisfied because he wanted more food I was a little embarrassed when I told the waitress I wanted more food hahaha but she was very friendly and said “I always order 3 dishes to share with my man as well, so you’re fine!”. She recommended the slow roasted pulled pork which was served on a board and is great for sharing. It’s a very generous serving and the pulled pork was tender and not at all stringy. It was surprisingly sweet as well which balanced out very well with the pickled fennel salad and rocket ~ Very satisfying dish!

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork open on a board like a sandwich great to share $19

Still sleepy, Mr Bao ordered another latte and this time just with their home blend, he described this one as more earthy and a rich body.

Latte $3.8

I was pretty full by I really couldn’t leave without ordering something sweet, I had a look at their cake cabinet and immediately knew I wanted their lemon pistachio loaf cake. It was one of the best loaf cakes I’ve had, it was moist, soft and lightly dense with just the right amount of lemon and pistachio! Now I’m really going to search high and low for a recipe and make this at home. The waitress also mentioned that they bake all their cakes and muffins on premises, which is another bonus as many cafes nowadays simply buy their cakes from suppliers.

Lemon, pistachio loaf cake $6.5

We really enjoyed The Premises, food and drinks were good with great flavours, staff were friendly and helpful. It’s just a shame that it’s so far away from us and it can be a bit for us but definitely good place to go after an airport run

Never Too Sweet

Category Archives: Australia

Lunching Near MCG – GG’s

Handshaken Lamington Milkshake – Lady Bower

An Extra Day – 8 Days Cafe

Morning Tea – At The Gables

Airport Run – The Premises

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Category Archives: Australia

Lunching Near MCG – GG’s

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