Wednesday 12 June 2013

Random tidbits from early 2013

Hey everyone,

As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't been posting very much recently. This is because I've been busy studying for my mid year exams which began today! I don't have any exams tomorrow so I'm dedicating some time tonight to my blog. I haven't been out to eat lately because all I want to do is study, so I thought I'd share with you photos I've snapped of my meals while out and about during the first 3-4 months of this year along with very brief reviews.
Enjoy! And I'll try to get a proper post up in about a week.

 Clockwise from top left:
Arizona Green Tea
Dips Platter $15.90
Gnocchi Pollo Pesto $18.90
Insalata Di Agnello $18.90

This was a meal shared between 3 people while on a Sunday afternoon shopping trip during the first term school holidays. The pita bread is definitely one of the best I have EVER tasted! Lightly salted, toasted until piping hot while still crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside - a perfect accompaniment to the delicious dips. My favourite was the olive tapenade. 
The gnocchi was a bit of a let down after the entrée. I found it very 'boring' and very ordinary.
The lamb salad was the dish of the day! The lamb was cooked to perfection and the candy balsamic dressing was oh so good. I absolutely loved the feta - it wasn't too crumbly or salty. I ordered this again to have all to myself in April and it was just as good. Definitely recommend it!


Piatto Ristorante Cafe on Urbanspoon


Iced tea, Tasting platter for 2

This was my first time trying Devour and I was very impressed! I happened to be in Prospect for a Street Fair in March, I think, saw Devour just opening up for the night and quickly dragged my sister and her friend in with me. No matter how much I wrack my brains, I can't seem to remember the flavour of the ice tea. It might have been something along the lines of rose and lychee? 
By memory though, the tasting platter consisted of a white chocolate macaron (blue), black sesame macarons, peanut butter panacotta,  and deep fried donuts with vanilla ice-cream. I enjoyed all elements except the white chocolate macaron - it tasted like nothing. The deep friend donuts were delicious though I could only manage one. The peanut butter panacotta was deliciously rich and I liked the contrast between it and the crunchy salty and sweet crumbs of something which I just can't remember. The black sesame macarons were also delicious! I haven't been back since, so I think another visit is on the agenda.


Devour Dessert Bar on Urbanspoon




This was an evening in January when 2 of my friends and I had a quick Korean dinner together after a UMAT course we did. So I can't remember the exact names of these dishes. I know that the dish in the first photo consisted of pork and vegetables tossed in a spicy sauce. It was tasty but I don't think we'll be ordering again any time soon. The second dish was very well received by us! It consisted of battered and fried chicken pieces atop a bed of salad veggies, drizzled in a tangy lemon sauce. The chicken was crunchy and tasted so good with the lemon sauce. This has been probably our 4th or 5th time dining here at Koba, though probably not our favourite. I really don't know about the authenticity of these dishes - we usually have barbecued meats. I'd probably recommend this mainly for the barbecue option. Remember to order the garlic pork belly if you visit!


KOBA Korean BBQ Restaurant on Urbanspoon


 Latté and salted caramel macaron

Ordered this while resting my feet after running a few errands in town and waiting for my sister to finish up.

From La Petit Macaron on the first floor in the David Jones building.


 Green Tea Matcha Latté

A huge group of us, both guys and girls, visited the Aviary on the evening of the 15th of February after our school formal at 11:30pm. I ordered this to start me off. I wanted something warm to drink because it was quite a cool evening for mid February. It was really powdery. I liked the flavour, just not the texture.

 Lychee Pearl
Lychee ice cream encased in a pink guava granita on a bed of of lychee jelly and vanilla and raspberry swirl custard

This was the special for February, I'm pretty sure, but I found that it's on the regular menu now. I loved the presentation of this as it reminded me of the Peter Gilmore's "Snow Egg". This was my first time at the Aviary and I'd set my expectations pretty high because I've heard so many great things about it. I really liked the idea of this dessert but it really let me down. The lychee ice cream didn't have a distinct lychee flavour, though I did like the pink guava granita surrounding it. But even the flavour of that was too subtle. The lychee jelly had the most strange texture and I really didn't like it so I didn't even bother finishing it. The custard was a bit disastrous - it was far too runny for a custard and just created a bit of a mess at the bottom of the glass. 


 Macarons which I took home and had the day after. I think the flavours were:
Lamington
Cookies and Cream
Salted Caramel
Chocolate
Jaffa
and I can't remember the final one!

They were delicious and the texture was just right. I'd recommend the macarons here, for sure!


The Aviary Dessert Kitchen on Urbanspoon



From the Sneaky Pickle food truck at Fork on the Road in March.
Left: Tasting platter of fried pickles, pulled pork and coleslaw bun, and pastrami sandwich.
Right: Chilli cheese fries

I don't like pickles on their own or in burgers (pickles in Maccas' cheesburgers as a kid = nightmare!), but battered and dipped in that mayo is a whole other story. They were so delicious! Definitely give them a go if you ever encounter this truck. The pulled pork was very tender and tasty. I'm not a fan of coleslaw though, and there was HEAPSS of it! The pastrami sandwich was also quite tasty - I didn't love it though. The chilli cheese fries were so finger-licking good! I wish it was a bit more chilli, but I still liked it as it is. I believe this is only on the menu at special events, so dig in if you're given the opportunity!

Sneaky Pickle Roaming Food Truck on Urbanspoon

 Citron
Fresh lemon callebaut mousse, light vanilla sponge, with raspberry centre and finished with white chocolate glaze



 Coffee & Bailey's
White chocolate mousse, fresh ground coffee mousse, sponge finger biscuits soaked with baileys and dark chocolate sponge.

One word for both cakes: HEAVENLY.

My family is obsessed with this place and we absolutely adore their cakes. They're consistently delicious and I can back that up - we've been customers for over 2 years now. I promise you, you won't be disappointed - definitely go and give them a go! Just steer clear of the macarons.... trust me.


Muratti Cakes on Urbanspoon


And finally, some red velvet cupcakes which I baked and decorated for my sister's sweet 16th. I think I did a pretty good job :P


Hope you enjoyed the picture spam!
Much love,
Vy
xo

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