Recently I took my parents to Costco being their first time they were amazed at how big everything was and they had fun buying everything in bulk. I’d had my eyes on the 1.5 Kg Reeses Peanut Butter miniature cups for a while but didn’t want to buy it. But dad saw how I was lurking around same aisle sagain and again so he ended up getting it for me! YAY to parents who spoil their kids

Immediately that night, I wanted to make something with PB, so ended up making these cookies which are essentially chocolate chip cookies but I replaced some of the chocolate chips with chopped pieces of PB cups and to top it off I placed a whole PB cup in the middle for baking them ~

I think next time to make them even more Peanut Buttery I’m going to add some Peanut butter to the cookie dough batter I wonder if we’ll ever get over this addiction but for now its here to stay.

Recipe – Peanut Butter Cup Cookie adapted from Taste.com.au
Yield – 20 Cookies

Ingredients
185g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g), brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g), caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cup (300g) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g Reeses Peanut Butter cup, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips (dark or milk)

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking power
2) Use an electric mixer to beat butter and two types of sugars in a medium bowl until pale and creamy (approximately 3 to 5 minutes)
3) Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until well combined. Add flour and baking powder, stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Alternatively continue beating with electric mixer until just combined and finish up by hand. Add Peanut butter cups and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
5) Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon, roll two tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball and place on the lined tray, slightly flatten with fingers.
6) Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until slightly golden (leave in oven if you like it crisper). Remove from oven and cool on tray before transferring to a cooling rack.

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. 

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!

We have been trying to eat the grapes at any chance we get, as morning snack, taking it to work and after dinner. But still there is so much left! So I decided to hit the books and find a few recipes that used grapes, this is when I came across Stephanie Alexander’s recipe of grape, ginger and yoghurt brûlée. It seemed easy enough and good as dessert or breakfast.

Basically it’s a ramekin filled full of grapes, then it’s covered with super thick Greek-style yoghurt and then a cinnamon brown sugar mixture is sprinkled on top. It is then placed under the griller and let the sugar melt and bubble wait for it to cool and hardens. I think it’s quite nice as breakfast with the grapes and the yoghurt being slightly warm and the sweetness and crunch from the sugar topping

My apologies for the lack of photos >_< Mr Bao made this and we weren’t planning to blog about this recipe and didn’t have time to remake it. But when we remake it I’ll update this post with more photos This recipe may sound a little strange but it’s really quite nice  ~ Hope you’ll like it!

Recipe – Grape, Cinnamon and Yoghurt Brûlée from Stephanie Alexander 
Yield – 4 ramekins (125ml) 

Ingredients
300g seedless red or green grapes, stems removed
200 ml Greek-style yoghurt (I used Chobani)
1/4 cup (55g) soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method
1) Pack grapes really tightly in a single layer into each ramekin (125ml), they should be nearly fill the dishes. Spoon yoghurt over and smooth with the back of a spoon.
2) Chill the filled dishes in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
3) Preheat overhead griller to maximum.
4) Mix brown sugar and cinnamon ensuring there are no small lump in sugar. Sprinkle an even layer of sugar mixture over yoghurt and smooth with back of spoon. Ensure you can no longer see the yoghurt.
5) Place ramekins on a baking tray and slide under the griller and watch it carefully. It should take less than 1 minute the sugar will melt and caramelise. Remove baking tray and allow ramekins to cool slightly as the sugar will be very hot. 

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.

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

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 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 

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

So in my quest for the best polenta dishes in Melbourne, I turned to Twitter and asked my dear friends ~ There were a few suggestions Libby (The Very Very Hungry Caterpillar), Ash (Im So Hungree) and Amy (Melbourne Food Snob) all suggested The Mess Hall on Bourke St. I haven’t heard of it before nor visited but realized that it was one of those oldie but goodie restaurants that have been around for quite a few years.

Initially wanted to catch up with Libby and Ash as well, but seems like April is a busy month, so Amy and I caught up with our partners The boys start off with a drink, a Gypsy Pear cider for Mr Bao ($8.5), he’s really into ciders lately which is fine because I prefer it much more than beer ~ It’s quite light tasting and not too sweet for him.

Gypsy Pear Cider $8

First thing we ordered was the polenta chips with parmesan and roasted garlic aioli. I couldn’t withhold my excitement when i saw these golden fingers! I took a polenta chip smeared a thick layer of garlic aioli over it and immediately popped it into my mouth. But unfortunately, it didn’t have the ‘crunch’ factor I was longing for… it didn’t feel very hot either like they had pre-fried them but flavours were great not too salty or bland. A shame as I’ve heard that the chips are usually piping hot and super crunchy

Polenta chips with parmesan, herbs and roasted garlic aioli $9.

Another starter was the arancini with herb mayo they were super tasty with blue cheese filling inside as well, but the risotto was a little hard in my opinion. But I’ve heard that traditionally there should be a bit to risotto and I assume with arancinis as well ~

Arancini with herb mayo $12.5

Moving onto something more substantial the Bianca pizza with pumpkin, potato, goats cheese, buffalo mozzerella and sage. I liked the flavours of the toppings, especially the pumpkin and goats cheese was such a nice combination, however, I found the pizza dough to be too thick and dense, not exactly what I expected.

Bianca pizza with pumpkin, potato, goat’s cheese, buffalo mozzerella and sage $17.5

I’ve actually never had Gnocchi alla romana which is a variation of gnocchi which is made out of semolina instead of potato. I don’t really know the difference between semolina and polenta because they taste quite similar to me, and I loved it! especially with the prosciutto and smoked mozzerella love that bouncy texture. After all that polenta I’m still not satisfied think I’m going to have to buy some and make it at home

Gnocchi alla romana wrapped with smoked mozzarella and prosciutto on minted zucchini $22.5

I love how Amy is a dessert lover as well, I quote “It’s not a review without dessert”, I couldn’t agree with her more! So we ordered 3 desserts to share, starting with the Tiramisu which came in a small coffee cup. We were quite impressed with the tiramisu as it had strong coffee flavours without being to over powering and the mascarpone cheese was very smooth. It also wasn’t very sweet so perfect for those who like a lighter tasting dessert ~

Tiramisu $12.5

Next up was the Sticky Date Pudding Bob (Amy’s partner) wanted to order, I already had a sticky date pudding that day at Red Cup Cafe, but who said one can’t have more than one puddings in a day This sticky date had a texture more like a cake than a pudding, and I found it a little dry. But really liked the mascarpone cream and think it’s better than regular whipped cream ~

Sticky Date Pudding with mascarpone cream $11.5

Was surprised when Mr Bao initiated that he’d like to try the Nutella Calzone, he doesn’t normally ask for desserts. For those not familiar with calzones they are like folded pizzas and can be hand held, to me like an Italian sandwich made out of pizza dough with the toppings enclosed inside instead. They can be made savoury or sweet, and this one had a generous amount of Nutella in the filling and vanilla ice-cream on the side. I can’t complain about the Nutella or ice-cream because they’re both my favourite but once again I found the dough to be a little thick and too doughy, it would have been the perfect dessert if it was not for the dough.

Nutella Calzone with vanilla ice-cream $12.5

Overall, it was a pleasant meal at The Mess Hall, we found some dishes to be hit and miss for instance, the arancini were great, while the dough for the pizza and calzone to be a little thick. But I am still going to come back and try the polenta chips again as I have been told that they are generally very fresh crispy and maybe I just went on a busy night If you’re looking for a casual restaurant to catch up in the CBD, The Mess Hall is a good choice especially since they open all day from breakfast till late ~

So happy that we got to celebrate Shellie’s birthday on the exact day, we met up with Ms-Ihua, Zeboy and Mr Bao at Merchant’s Guild for brunch, everything was so delicious especially the pancakes! Will blog about it soon!

I couldn’t go empty-handed and simply had to bake a cake. A birthday is not complete without a cake! Now as you may know Shellie loves her BALLS So I decided to make her a cake with balls ~ After doing some research I decided on Steph’s Chocolate Milo cake with a super thick condense milk buttercream filling topped with balls (Maltesers and Ferrero Rocher).

This is probably by far one of the prettiest cakes i have made So I’m super happy! But then need to Thank Mr Bao as well because I curdled the ganache and he had to help me fix it ~ If you like chocolate, Milo and Condense Milk this cake is FOR YOU. Hope you’ll like it as much as I do!

Recipe – Chocolate Milo Cake adapted from Raspberri Cupcake 

Yield - A double layer 20cm cake

Ingredients 
125g unsalted butter, soften
50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
195g (1 1/4 cup) plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
150 (about 1 1/4) Milo Powder
3 eggs
120ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk

Condense Milk filling
150g unsalted butter, soften
350g icing sugar
2/3 cup condense milk

Milo Ganache 
300ml thickened cream (35% milk fat)
400g dark chocolate
1/2 cup Milo

Garnish
Maltesers
Ferrero Rocher

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F), spray and line a 20cm round springform cake tin with baking paper.
2) Using an electric mixer or standmixer, cream butter and sugar until light, smooth and pale in colour. Add egg one at a time, beat until incorporated.
3) Combine flour, baking powder and Milo together and sift together. With the mixer on a low-speed gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar.
4) Once combined, gradually add buttermilk until just combined – Do not overmix.
5) Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top starts to brown, cover loosely with foil.
6) Remove from oven, let cake cool in tin for 10 minutes before placing it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7) To make the condense milk buttercream filling. Using an electric mixer or standmixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, add icing sugar and condense milk and beat for another 3 to 5 minutes until fully incorporated and spreadable.
8) To make Milo ganache, chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a large heat proof bowl. Heat cream in a saucepan until it simmers but not boiling, add the Milo and whisk until well combined.
9) Pour heated cream over the chocolate and set aside for 5 minutes, then whisk until mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside and let it cool until mixture thickens and is spreadable.
10) To assemble, carefully cut the cooled cake in half and level the top. Spread a generous amount of condensed milk buttercream on one of the cakes and spread evenly. Then cover with the other cake.
11) Cover whole cake with Milo ganache spread until smooth. To garnish smear a little ganache onto the Maltersers and Ferrero Roche.

Notes:
- The original recipe was a three layer cake, but I didn’t feel confident enough to cut my cake into three layers
- You could substitute Milo with other chocolate malt powders such as Ovaltine or mixture of milk powder and cacao powder

Credit: Ms I-Hua

Loved this photo Ms I-Hua look of the cake Thanks for letting me use it!

Margaret has such strong passion towards food, I don’t think there’s any moment in the day when she’s not thinking about food I think that’s one of the reasons why we get along so well! She is also one of the most knowledge people I know about food ~ I think it helps when you have a brother who was a chef at Quay and is now working at Noma wow!

Last time I was in HK, Margaret and I met up at Boulangerie Bistronomique one of the new cafes that have opened in the Western District. As the name suggests it is a French cafe specialising in baguette sandwiches and pastries. They also have a few shelves with selling jams, pates and other delicacies. I almost forgot that we were in HK and thought we were back in Melbourne at one of the cafes ~

Both feeling a bit hungry, we chose the baguette lunch set for $98HKD ($12.25AUD) you got a baguette of your choice, a mini salad and a soup. I really liked the little bamboo boards that they used to serve it on ~

Ham & Cheese Baguette with salad and soup $98HKD ($12.25AUD)

I went for the classic ham and cheese baguette, from the first bite I knew it was a delicious baguette with a good crust but still remained soft with air bubbles inside. Apart from Paris I haven’t been able to find many good baguettes, they’re either too hard or too airy that feels hallow. The ham was thinly sliced and not too salty while the cheese gave the baguette the saltiness it needed. One word YUM! Sometimes I think all we need is a simple good baguette While the pumpkin soup was very smooth but felt a little diluted and lacked seasoning and the salad was just a mini bowl of rocket and drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Tete de cochon baguette with pig head’s terrine in a set $98HKD($12.25AUD)

Margaret also chose the Tete de cochon baguette, I wasn’t sure what it was but she explained to me that it was a pig head’s terrine with gribiche sauce, pickled pepper and mustard. Even though flavours were good, as she thought “… the thin layer was completely overwhelmed by the egg salad and gribiche sauce”. A bit of a shame because it looked and smelt wonderful but once again she loved the texture of the baguette which is a win ~

Margaret’s secret salt containers

And just before Margaret had her soup, she opened her bag to get these two little cute salt containers from her purse. If you know Margaret you will know her love for salt, she collects them by the bottle and  always has at least two types of salt in her purse, that day she at Maldon sea salt flakes and a finer table salt Now I want one of these salt containers!

Pastries and Cakes

Time for pastries and cakes They had a good selection in their cabinet ranging from tarts to mini cakes to eclairs. But I was meeting up with my family afterwards…so couldn’t go too crazy so we got one dessert each ~

Starting with the Paris Brest, another uncommon pastry, haven’t seen it in many places in Melbourne so was surprise to see it in HK. For those who are unfamiliar a Paris Brest is made out of a choux pastry the same as eclairs, piped into a circle like a donut and filled with a praline cream and topped with crushed nuts and icing sugar.

Paris Brest $45HKD ($5.6AUD)

I was quite impressed with the choux pastry as it was very light with a good crispy texture on the outside ~ while the praline cream was sweet with a nutty flavour. I also liked the crunchiness from the crushed nuts. Now I just wished more cafes would start making these Paris Brests

Mille Feuille $45HKD($5.62AUD)

We also ordered the Mille Feuille, it looked magnificent with the flakey layers of puff pastries and the little black specks in the creme patisserie . Unfortunately, this mille feuille was a bit of a disappointment, the puff pastry was not at all flakey, it even felt a little soggy. While the creme patisserie was smooth and lovely, but then the white icing paste of top had a very strong nearly bitter taste. It’s such a shame as we enjoyed the other dishes and I had such high expectations of their pastries.

I think Boulagerie Bistronimique is a great place for HK people to visit if they want a taste of Paris and if they need a break because we all know how busy and fast-pasted HK can be. It’s located in a quiet area and offers fresh and delicious lunches, even though some of their pastries and cakes can be a hit or miss, I really enjoyed their baguettes and Paris Brest. Next time I go I’m definitely going to try their eclairs and mini tarts

Boulangerie Bistronomique
Shop 1A, G/F, 1 Davis Street,
Kennedy Town, Western District
西環堅尼地城爹核士街1號地下1A號舖
PH: +852 2872 0811

Even though my friends are so supportive of my sweet tooth not all of them are up for the challenge to tackle all 25 desserts…but I know one person who will and that’s Kirk He’s a pastry chef after all so he’s gotta have a sweet tooth and trying more desserts will be like research for him! It’s a win-win if you ask me

Anyhow, going down the list of dessert places, San Telmo’s dulce de leche creme caramel caught my attention and I don’t think I’ve had a proper South American meal before ~ So off we went. It was an impromptus catch up so at 6pm on a Sunday I immediately phoned San Telma hoping that they’ll have a table available. Luckily they did and said we can just rock up anytime

Like any other restaurant in Melbourne, San Telmo is located on Meyers Place one of the quiet and hidden streets between Spring St and are Bourke St. If you’re driving there you may be lucky like us to find free parking or there’s a car park right in front the restaurant ~

Upon walking in, I could immediately smell the meat on the chargrill and couldn’t want to get some in my mouth San Telmo’s also quite a dark restaurant with dark tables and chairs and dim lights. The waiter was friendly and gave us a quite table close by the kitchen so we could see all the chefs in action ~

Ceviche – Peruvian style lemon cured white fish with chilli, sweet potato and onion $16

The menu here is designed to be share with ‘smaller’ and ‘larger’ dishes. We decided to begin with the ‘Mas Pequeno’ small dishes, Kirk chose the Ceviche – Peruvian style which was white fish that was cured in lemon juice with chilli and accompanied with sweet potato and onion. Unfortunately, the fish wasn’t very fresh and the texture of the flesh was a little powdery we also found it to be too sour and overpowered the whole dish.

Mejilla de Cerdo – Braised pork jowl ‘cheek’ with crackling $19

Since trying pork jowl for the first time last year, it’s now one of my favourite cuts of pork, but it’s still not very popular. We loved the fatty ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ texture of the pork jowl and the crackling was salty with a good ‘crack’ to it This was probably the winner of the night!

Tira De Asado – Pasture fed beef short ribs $28

Next up was a larger dish the ‘Tira De Asado’  these pasture fed beef short ribs had strong chargrilled flavour, I was worried at first that it might have been burnt but not to worry it was cooked perfectly. We were given some chimichurri to go with the ribs, we liked the texture of the beef but found it to be a little bland and it would have been better if it was seasoned with some salt. However, having said that I’ve never really had South American food so I’m not sure if that’s how they cook their meat

Entrana – Pasture fed hanger steak $36

Don’t know why I was convinced by Kirk to order another beef dish, this time it was the Entrana a pasture fed hanger steak. I like the other name for hanger steak ‘butcher’s steak’ because it’s such a good cut that the butchers’ rather keep it for themselves ~ The hanger steak had really good flavour and was once again chargrilled but we found it to be underwhelming and slightly too chewy for my liking.

Flan de Dulce – Dulce de leche creme caramel $14

After all that meat, finally it was time for dessert or should i say ‘Postres’ I could finally try the acclaimed Dulce De Leche Creme Caramel with salted peanut praline. The creme caramel had good caramel flavours but I expected it to taste more like dulce de leche with the condense milk flavour. It also wasn’t as smooth was we expected and Kirk suggested it’s probably because it was over-mixed and too much air had been incorporated. We did like the dulce de leche on top which was sticky sweet and the salted peanut praline where the saltiness helped cut through some of the sweetness (once again not a problem for me )

Chocolate Mousse $14

The chocolate mousse was made out of Varlhona 80% dark chocolate with chocolate wafer and blueberries. I don’t generally dislike any desserts but I really couldn’t like this…the texture of the chocolate mousse was grainy and dried out which indicates that it has been pre-made and left in the refrigerator for quite some time. The chocolate wafers were alright but weren’t as crispy as we had liked and we felt the blueberries were a little out of place. Very disappointing

Alfajores $5

To finish up we ordered an Alfajores to share, which is an Argentinian cookied filled with dulce de leche. The biscuit was very thick, dry and crumbly and there was clearly not enough dulce de leche which was a shame Instead i was reminiscing the alfajore I had at the Eat Drink Blog conference last year which was thinner with plenty of dulce de leche.

It was definitely a meat overload dinner at San Telmo, I don’t remember the last time I had that much meat in one meal last time was probably ‘All-You-Can-Eat’ Korean BBQ Despite trying very hard to like San Telmo, neither of us did. We found the savoury dishes under seasoned and lacked flavour, however, it was the pre-made desserts that was the most disappointing.

Seoul Soul

I called to make a booking and the lady with a Korean accent was very friendly and told us to take our time. It’s quite easy to miss Seoul Soul as it doesn’t have a very big sign outside, but its on Victoria St in the same building as Woolworths and ALDI  ~

Seoul Soul is quite small with two large tables on the left and a couple of small tables on the right, I know some might find it to be a little cramped, the waitress was simply too friendly and nice that I thought it was just cosy She kept apologising that this was the only table left and she wanted to give it a bigger table. She really didn’t have to! The table was fine

Complimentary sides

Deep Fried Chicken dumpling $6

LOL I think we over ordered again, starting with the deep fried chicken dumplings which were piping hot, the filling was delicious with hints of ginger, but the pastry was a little thick and reminded me of empanadas.

Deep fried calamari salad $12

I was trying to be healthy and wanted to order a salad…but I think it defeats the purpose when I order a deep fried calamari salad but at least it had fruit in it The fried calamari was lovely with a light batter and wasn’t oily at all and I reminded me of Japanese salads with the slices of peach and strawberries.

Spicy pork bulgogi $13

I read Bryan’s blog post and immediately knew I wanted to order the Dosirak which is like a bento box but served in a small bamboo bucket and came with rice, salad, finger food and fruit. I really liked the presentation and the spicy pork bulgogi was spicy but I know other bloggers have commented to be a little on the sweet side, which is how I like it We also liked the little potato croquette that came with the Dosirak with a light and fluffy filling!

Spicy chicken bulgogoi $13

I was surprised Mr Bao ordered the spicy chicken bulgogi as he usually goes for the Teriyaki as he doesn’t really like spicy food. He really enjoyed this dish saying the chicken was cooked nicely and very tender. He was being so stingy and wouldn’t share with me! Only giving me two small pieces to try!

Marinated beef rib (120g) $15

We also wanted to try some of their Chargrilled BBQ dishes, I thought the marinated beef rib was great value $15 for 120g which was more than enough for 2 people. The beef was well marinated and wasn’t overcooked, still retaining the juicy texture. We polished this dish very quickly.

Max beer $8

I was driving that night so Mr Bao decided to get a Korean beer to wash all that delicious food down ~ he tried the Max beer which he hasn’t had before. It quite light in taste but I found it a little too ‘malty’ for me, but I’m really more of a Cider girl.

Rice cake Ice-cream $2.5

It’s rare to find desserts in a Korean restaurants so I was impressed to see the only dessert option ‘Rice cake ice-cream’ which was clearly a store bought mochi with a vanilla ice-cream filling. But it was still nicely plated with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and strawberries. Probably not the best rice cake I have had but a great way to end the night.

We were very impressed with the food and service here at Seoul Soul and have already recommended it to my colleague Yue who has visited with his friends and also enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a cheap and cheery or a casual place for dinner with friends, I would highly recommend Seoul Soul

Meatball and Winebar

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Fake CEO’s need to eat well Mr Bao was very sweet and drove me to the training site because it’s too hard to find parking, so in return, I offered to take him out for breakfast. I wanted to take him somewhere special and not just have bacon and eggs, so I did some research the night before and found that the Meatball and Wine Bar was now serving breakfast as well!

We have never had meatballs for breakfast so was intrigued to try. We got there just past 7am and they were still setting up the tables, but the waiter was very friendly and immediately showed us a table. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Meatball & Wine Bar empty and quiet, as usually it’s packed full of people.

The breakfast menu was quite simple – balls, balls and more balls I can’t help but think of the Queen of Balls hahaha you know who you are! The concept was quite similar to their lunch and dinner menu where it mainly focuses on meatballs with sauce of your choice.

Baked egg and balls with beans $12.5

I chose the Baked eggs and balls with beans and chose the pork meatball, they did have a vegetable meatball option as well I really liked the flavour of the meatball and thought it went very well with the red sauce and the end. But found the beans to be slightly undercooked and a little firm. But I understand that we were the first customers and the kitchen may not have had enough time to cook them.

Breakfast sliders $12

Mr Bao ordered the Breakfast sliders with an egg ball with bacon and red sauce. This seemed a little heavy for me but…if he can have a burger for breakfast I’m sure sliders will be fine too I thought the idea of the egg ball was very clever, and the waiter told me that they created it by baking the egg in a round tin in the oven, like the ones used to make cake pops ~ Now I’m interested to borrow that idea next time I have a party. Mr Bao liked his sliders commenting the buns were soft and fluffy, however, would have liked the egg balls to have some more seasoning.

We both got up at around 5:30am and could barely keep our eyes open so had to have a latte ~ The coffee provider is ‘Dukes Coffee Roasters’. I think the barista knew we were really tired because it was quite strong but didn’t have any bitter aftertaste ~

Latte $3.5

We probably wouldn’t have meatballs for breakfast on a daily or weekly basis, but on the odd occasion I think it’s actually quite nice and fun It also helped fill me up until lunchtime which was great since I didn’t have a lot of time to eat. Fake CEO’s are so busy

I won a bottle of wine

As for the game? I think I have potential to become a REAL CEO My team won the challenge making 15 million in profits and won a bottle of wine each! I learned so much from the Business Acumen training and now understand why companies make the decisions they do. Just curious, my lovely Readers are any of you a CEO or business owner and how do you make important business decisions in a short period of time?

Bangpop

Anyhow, I have always liked Paul Mathis (owner) restaurants such as The Sharing House, Henry and The Fox, Coffeehead and many more. So I definitely wanted to try Bangpop and also support them ~ Through Instagram, I found out that Bangpop had a ‘soft-opening’ for the first two weeks and offered a 25% off the whole bill. Perfect timing to try, after all Thai food is one of my favourite types of cuisines. I made a booking on the last day of their ‘soft-opening’ and was able to get a table for two at 6:30pm. As you can see from the picture, ‘The Sharing House’ signage has not been removed yet and simply painted black, while there wasn’t any clear signage of Bangpop yet, however, the menu was stuck on the windows near the front door for customers to look at.

Still the same decor ~

I was really curious to see if they would change the decor of the restaurant, especially the bar area which cost more than $12,000 worth of lego. It was a relief to see the lego still there but the words ‘The Sharing House’ were no longer there. Even though this space has now become a Thai restaurant with the same chairs and tables, we didn’t feel like we were dining in a new restaurant.

I even recognised some of the waitering staff, like the manager in this photo who’s making the coffee He was always nice and helpful and would always try to remember customer’s names, which I found quite nice, as not waiting staff do that ~ The waitress who looked after our table was also very friendly, and told us that they were in the trial and error phase and welcomed any type of feedback.

“Kai Chae Nam Pla Tod” Marinated chicken spare ribs with nam jim talay and pickled shallots $12.90

Bangpop’s menu was quite simple with a range of small/entree dishes, salads, curries, mains and desserts. We started our meal with the marinated chicken spare ribs with nam jim talay and picked shallots. I don’t think I’ve had this Thai dish before, but I really liked the tenderness of the chicken spareribs and the crispiness of the chicken skin. The nam jim talay had a good balance of sweet, sour and spicy, we found it to be a great appetiser as the sourness helped increase jump start our appetite

“Som Dtum Thai” Isaan Green Papaya salad $13.90

Green papaya salad is my ‘must-order’ dish whenever I go to a Thai restaurant, I love the crunchiness from the green papaya and crushed peanuts. This salad was more on the sour and spicy side, which I really liked because I like my salads to be extra spicy While Mr Bao struggled with the heat and drank a lot of water hahaha sorry I’m a bit mean ~

“Penang Nua” 16 hour cooked beef shin penang curry with fresh shallot, lime leaf and coriander $23.90

For our mains we chose the beef shin which was cooked for 16 hours in a penang curry with fresh shallot, lime leaves and coriander. The curry was much milder in flavour with only a little heat to it and strong coconut flavour through it.

Tender beef shin

The beef shins were cooked wonderfully and was tender and soft to eat, definitely the way we like our meat. Mr Bao really liked the curry sauce and kept putting more on of it over his rice

“Khao Mun Kai” Chicken Maryland cooked in stock with rice and nam jim $15.90

Sauces for the Maryland Chicken

Mr Bao requested that we order the “Khao Mun Kai” which is a chicken Maryland cooked in chicken stock with rice and nam jim. I thought this dish was going to be a Thai version of the Hainanese chicken rice and even though there were similarities, especially with the three sauces provided. The sweet and sticky soy sauce, the nam jim and the clear chicken stock. However, it was quite different in terms of flavour and texture as the rice was not fragrant and the chicken pieces were Maryland which had no bones. We enjoyed this dish especially the sauces, but found the chicken pieces to be a little bland and could have been improved with some seasoning ~

“Pad Thai” with tofu, garlic chives, bean sprouts and crisps shallots $14.90

I don’t know why we were still hungry after all that food lol so we decided to add a Pad Thai with tofu, garlic chives, bean sprouts and fried shallots, but to Mr Bao’s disappointment it was actually a vegetarian dish and I’m sure you all know how he feels about vegetarian dishes Having said that though, we really liked the flavours of this pad thai and what really impressed us was how dry it was and not at all oily or sticky

“Kluay Tod” Deep fried “sugar banana’ served with coconut ice-cream $8.90 approx

Time for dessert I let Mr Bao choose what he wanted and he ordered the deep fried ‘sugar banana’ served with coconut ice-cream. Sorry I don’t really remember how much this cost but I assume it would be about the same as the other dessert at around $8.90. Unfortunately we didn’t like this dessert very much, the sugar bananas which I assume to be lady fingers were deep fried in a light batter, which strangely tasted quite savoury and underneath it there was little chilli flakes and a spicy and salty syrup. We felt that this dessert was more savoury than sweet, even though the coconut ice-cream was lovely and creamy.

I wasn’t going to say anything but the manager came over and asked us how the desserts were and I told him nicely that it tasted rather savoury and spicy and whether this was what it was supposed to taste like. He was very professional took our advice and went back to the kitchen to ask the chef, turns out that the chilli was supposed to be there as it was a chilli sugar syrup but they forgot to write that in the description. The manager was very generous and insisted that he take this dessert off our menu even though we declined and said we were happy to pay. I think it’s very rare to find restaurants who are wiling to take constructive criticism and take that feedback and improve their dishes Very impressed with this!

“Woon-Ma Prow” young coconut jelly with young coconut fleshed and toasted coconut $8.90

The other dessert we got as one that I saw over on Pig Out Travels post and was immediately intrigued because I know I love young coconut water and the flesh so thought it would be wonderful when made into a jelly. But my first reaction when I saw the dessert was ‘It’s TINY!’ hahaha don’t be mislead by the photo because it was a really tiny glass probably the size of a medium apple! But that’s okay because they do say ‘good things come in small packages’ e.g. diamond rings Anyhow, this dessert did not disappoint it was wonderfully refreshing and light as it used young coconuts and mature ones which had stronger flavours and richer texture. I would have liked it even more if it was just a tiny bit bigger, because I wanted more of it

Overall, Mr Bao and I really enjoyed Bangpop, dishes were good and reasonably priced, service was slow at times but given that it was their soft opening it’s understandable. We really appreciated the fact that they actually took our feedback about the dessert and was going to work on it Even though I still miss The Sharing House and really hope that we will see up again somewhere else, I had a chat with Path Mathis on Twitter and understand financially it wasn’t feasible to keep it running. I think Bangpop has some big shoes to fill, but they’re doing a fine job and I’m looking forward to revisiting again