Food

Had dinner with girlfriends last night but as usual, I arrive early and have my “Me” time at a cafe before meeting up with them for dinner. I was glad that my favourite stationery cafe, My Sweet Memory (MSM), wasn’t busy so I was able to get a table easily. I comfortably parked my things at one of the bar tables they had. 
They’ve changed a few of their interiors and I like the new ones better. They still have the normal tables but on one side they have the bar tables and stools. I love their colourful bar stools as they are the perfect height and they were comfortable to sit on.

I got myself a refreshing Iced Coffee and Red Velvet Cupcake to accompany me while I write. Some “Me” times I’d spent staring into nothing or watch people passing by. But yesterday, I was in the mood to write so I brought my laptop with me.

Their Red Velvet Cupcake was a contradiction of sorts. Their cream cheese icing was thick and a bit runny, the top portion of the cupcake was moist but the bottom was dry. I enjoyed half of it nonetheless because it had the right amount of sweetness.

One of the things we notice when having Iced Coffee in Korean cafes is that their iced coffees usually mean that it would have a scoop of ice cream in it. It’s like double the fun when I order them because I get to have my coffee and ice cream all in just one cup.

I bought a bottle of water from them too as I fancied the shape of their bottled water. It’s such a space saver because it’s thin. I can re-use it for a few times and easily place inside my bag. Not bulky at all! 🙂
MSM is a favourite after-dinner place of my friends and I. Every time we have dinner at Strathfield, we hang out here to have coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Sweet moments with oneself and with loved ones.  That’s how we’re making memories at MSM Cafe.

My Sweet Memory (MSM) Cafe
3 & 4 Symond Arcade
12 Churchill Avenue, Strathfield NSW 2135
Strathfield Branch Facebook Page

When in Sydney, one must have a taste of some of the best macarons in the world. I’ve already got three favourite macaron brands: MakMak, Adriano Zumbo and Laduree. I’ve writtten about Zumbo and Laduree and have mentioned about MakMak macarons but I just had write a separate entry for them. According to Time Out Sydney, MakMak currently hold the Number 1 spot in the best macaron category. 

Note: According to Time Out Sydney, the Top 5 macarons are Makmak, Adriano Zumbo, Laduree, Baroque Patisserie and Creasion. I’ve tasted the Top 3 and in my list I’ve also ranked them the same as Time Out Sydney.

I discovered MakMak macarons when we had coffee at Via Del Corso, a cafe at Level 5 Westfield Sydney which offers good coffee and a range of delicious desserts such as cakes, chocolates, ice cream, gelato and macarons made by MakMak. It was a pleasure to have found them as it’s always nice to know that there’s a place where I can easily get great tasting macarons should I have the craving.

MakMak macarons are made by Carlos Heng and Chia Wei Leong. What only started out as a challenge to make the best macarons became a business venture for them. After two years of business, their macarons are considered one of the best in Australia. Their service is commendable as they efficiently create their macarons at home and deliver them personally to clients.Things I Love: Macarons by MakMak

We’ve tried a few of their flavours: Salted Caramel, Peppermint and Dark Chocolate, Gianduja and Peanut Butter.

Things I Love: Macarons by MakMak

Salted Caramel. Rich, luscious caramel with bursts of Maldon sea salt. The best salted caramel macaron I’ve ever tasted.

Gianduja. Classic combination of hazelnuts & Belgian dark chocolate with a hint of Frangelico. The nuttiest of all the nutty macarons. This easily becomes a favourite of people who love nuts with their chocolate.

Peppermint and Dark Chocolate. Inspired by Arnott’s Mint Slice and made with organic peppermint tea. The mint is not overpowering so even if I’m not very fond of chocolates with mint, this macaron was very much tolerable.

Peanut Butter. My super duper favourite from all of their macarons. Savouring their peanut butter macarons is like eating peanut butter from the jar. 
Things I Love: Macarons by MakMak
MakMak doesn’t have an exclusive store (yet) but you can visit Via Del Corso or you can check out their website for orders and delivery.
There’s always a first time for everything and I think this is our first time to have yogurt at a restaurant. I’ve seen yogurt cafes in the Philippines when we vacationed there last year but we never had the chance to try it then. This year, Sydney Metro is starting to have more yogurt stores which is a great thing.  Aussies now have more options for dessert: chocolate cafes, coffee boutiques, patisseries, ice cream parlours, tea salons, Asian dessert cafes, milk tea stores and now, yogurt cafes!

After our lunch at Beauty and the Beast Cafe & Restaurant in Strathfield, we noticed a new establishment near the train station. Instead of having dessert at Hello Happy, we decided to have yogurt for dessert.

Yogurberry, from the words yogurt and berry, started in a small town in Korea in 2004. In three years, they expanded into 50 outlets in Korea. Later on, they opened stores in USA, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Sudan, UAE, Bolivia, Paraguay, India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Panama, and Australia.
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
Their newest store in Strathfield is attractive and colourful that’s why we can’t help but hang out and have a cup of yogurt. 
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
We eat yogurt at home but we’re practically amateurs when it came to enjoying frozen yogurt in a cafe. It just seemed fussy at first but we’re grateful that there was a board that showed instructions on how to make our own cup of yogurt. 
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
There were two brightly-coloured cups to choose from: the blue’s bigger and the green’s on the medium side.
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
Then we moved to the yogurt dispenser which looks soooo cute because of the lighted drawings on the wall above it. You can choose from any of the different flavours of yogurt but they also have an Original Plain flavour (the unflavoured yogurt). Their flavours include chocolate, passion fruit, taro, mango, blueberry, strawberry, pomegranate, green apple, pineapple and banana.
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
I chose the Taro flavour and I was grateful that the staff was helpful enough to demonstrate how to pull down the dispenser handle. He later handed the cup to me so I can experience doing it myself. 
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)

The fun part is adding the toppings of your choice to our yogurt. The toppings buffet is divided in half: sweets (a.k.a. not so healthy options) and fruits (healthy options). My eyes were fixed on the sweets hahaha, it was only a bit later when I noticed that they had fruit toppings. I was able to add a few strawberries and blueberries to our sweet toppings of M&Ms, chocolates and nuts.

Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)

Once finished, the cup is placed on a scale which will automatically measure the weight and its equivalent amount. Our medium-sized cup amounted to AUD$6.30.

Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)

It was Yogurberry‘s first week of opening in Strathfield when we visited in October.  It was a rainy day that time but we enjoyed our cold yogurt dessert. The Taro flavour is commendable. It has a good balance of sweet and sour.

Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
We like their spacious branch and youthful interiors. I look forward to having dessert here again.

4 The Boulevard
Strathfield, NSW 2135
Discovered this Korean restaurant in Strathfield that also serves Japanese and Western cuisine in October. We were supposed to have brunch at our usual favourite Korean BBQ restaurant but it was still closed when we arrived. So we walked a few more steps and found Beauty and the Beast Cafe & Restaurant open with an accommodating staff who willingly accommodated us. 

On our first visit, the Husband and I enjoyed a bowl of their Pork and Tofu Kimchi Stew, Pork Tonkatsu and Clubhouse Sandwich.  We enjoyed their well-made dishes that the next time we were in Strathfield, we took our friends there too. Our friends tried their Pork Tonkatsu and Beef Bulgogi and they liked them too. On our second visit, the Husband tried their abundant Bibimbap and once again, I ordered my favourite Clubhouse Sandwich.

If you’re looking for a place that serves delicious and well-made Korean dishes, plus Japanese and Western cuisine, Beauty and the Beast Cafe & Restaurant is a dependable place that I recommend.
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
U1/39 The Boulevard
Strathfield NSW
Phone: 02 9763 2155
Another foodie dream of mine came true recently as I finally got a hold of Adriano Zumbo’s Croquembouche…oh well, at least the mini and very cute version of it. 

The Croquembouche became famous when it came out on the first season of MasterChef Australia and it also made Adriano Zumbo known as one of Australia’s best pastry chefs. He presented his Croquembouche creation at one of the challenges and since then people have been ordering Croquembouche from his patisserie.

I resigned to the fact that I will never get to taste his Croquembouche because I wouldn’t really want a tall and big one. However, Adriano created a small version and made it available at The Star branch. 
Mini Croquembouche by Adriano Zumbo

So finally, my foodie dream finally came true!  I love the Croquembouche because I love eating profiteroles (cream puffs) and it is what the Croquembouche is made up of. 

Mini Croquembouche by Adriano Zumbo

What I love about Adriano Zumbo’s Croquembouche is that the cream filling is silky, smooth and not too sweet while enveloped in toffee coated choux pastry.

Mini Croquembouche by Adriano Zumbo
The Mini Croquembouche is now available at Adriano Zumbo Patisserie but if you want the big Croquembouche, you can check out the details on how to order here. You can also make them at home with the help of this recipe.