Food Archives | Page 48 of 68

Night Noodle Market and Art & About 2010

17 October 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 7 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food, The Married Life

We have somehow made a silent vow to always join in the fun of the Night Noodle Markets every year. For us, this is the most convenient food festivals to go because it happens for two weeks and starts at 5:00pm. My Husband and I usually go here on the first week, either on a Thursday or Friday, after work.

We arrived at 6 o’clock on Thursday and it appeared to be busy already. Tables were mostly taken and some people have already sat down on the grass for a picnic.

Re-usable bags were being handed out when we arrived.

re-usable bags given at the Night Noodle Festival

While looking around for food, we saw this hand wash system in the middle of the park. Creative, isn’t it?

No need for water, just simply lather on your hands and voila, clean hands!

Long queue for food. There were lots of food stalls but there were lots of people too. Must be patient. My Husband and I usually split and go to the respective stalls we like to save time.

The Husband’s food find: Noodles with grilled Shrimp and Beef skewers.

My food find: Roast Duck in pancakes. I also ordered a bowl of fried rice to go with the roast duck and skewers. The roast duck was lovely. It was a bit oily but the skin was amazingly crunchy.

For the first time that we’ve attended this event, we found a table. Lucky us! For the past years, we’ve always sat on the grass. We don’t mind having a picnic on the grass but it had been raining in Sydney these past few days, the park was actually wet and muddy in some parts.

After dinner, it was time to explore. There was a belly dancing show and we hung out here for a while. I’m so entertained by their show. They even went down the stage and asked the audience to dance too.

Then there was the dragon dance.

Also happening at Hyde Park was the Art & About Sydney Life Exhibition.

This year’s stunning Sydney Life exhibition shows the many sides of the city through the eyes of some of our most exciting photographers. Their striking large-scale images are on display in the beautiful leafy central walkway of Hyde Park.

One of its major sponsors, Sony, had a booth for photography enthusiasts wanting to try out their new camera, Sony NEX-5.

And when they say large scale images, this was how massive the photographs were.

The Husband and I hung out for a bit more in one of the walkways at Hyde Park, enjoyed the lights and sounds of the festivity, aroma of food and the happy vibe around us. It was a lovely night and we look forward to next year’s festival again.

Night Noodle Markets will be held at Hyde Park til 22 October 2010, Monday to Friday from 5:00-9:30pm. Free entry to all.

Restaurant: Aix Cafe Creperie Salon (Melbourne, Australia)

15 October 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 9 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food, Travel

On our last day in Melbourne, we decided to have breakfast on the other side of Flinders Lane. Centre Place is another busy little lane in Melbourne. Like Degraves Street, it is a laneway full of cafes and restaurants. As usual, we arrived at the area with no idea on where we were going to eat. We passed by all the restaurants in Centre Place twice before we decided to eat at Aix Cafe Creperie Salon.

The cafe is diminutive. They have tables just big enough to fit a plate. It’s so cute!

Aix Cafe Creperie Salon (Melbourne, Australia)

Here’s the Husband sitting at our table so you can imagine how compact it is!

I like this painting above us.

The painting up close; a man and woman having a meal on a laneway–a typical scene when you live in Melbourne. I was a bit nostalgic while looking at this painting. Since it’s the last day of our short getaway, I was feeling the pangs of “Melbourne homesickness”.

We had an exhibition to go to in the morning and a brunch date with our friends so we choose something quick and not so heavy to eat. The Husband chose the BLT Baguette which seemed massive but since they cut it into half, it was less intimidating. And before I knew it, the Husband finished it off easily. When it comes to BLT’s of any sort, we love them. Who wouldn’t love bacon???

Now comes the best part. Their crepes are to die for!!! You know the feeling when you unexpectedly found something you really really like? That was how I felt when I tasted the crepe I ordered that morning. My Hot Salami, Goat’s Cheese, Tomato, Capsicum and Olive Tapenade Crepe. Yes, all of those in one crepe!

The spiciness of salami and creaminess of goat’s cheese went well together inside the mouth, with the tomato and olive tapenade bringing more flavour to the whole ensemble. It was a delicious partner to my Cafe Americano.

I noticed their use of pretty souvenir teaspoons which made eating here more distinct.

If there was one cafe I would eat again in our next visit, this would be it.

Aix Cafe Creperie Salon
24 Centre Pl
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone (03) 9662 2667

A Wife’s Charmed Life visited Aix Cafe Creperie Salon as an anonymous guest on 18 September 2010.

Restaurant: Maze Grill by Gordon Ramsay

12 October 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 8 Comments Category: Food, Photography, Travel

Let me be honest. We weren’t really prepared when we arrived in Melbourne for my Husband’s birthday. We arrived there with no concrete plans of where to go and eat. We arrived with no reservations to any restaurants!! (I know, que horror!) We had inklings, we had ideas, but nothing definite. However, one thing was clear: we hoped to eat good food while we were there.

maze Grill was just the second option to have my Husband’s birthday lunch but it turned out to be the best gastronomical experience we’ve had on the trip. One that I could call a happy accident. I booked lunch at maze Grill a day before and we were lucky to get a table.

Our reservation was at 12:30 but arrived 30 minutes early. We were prepared to wait at the bar or lobby (they had this posh waiting area for customers) but the friendly staff told us it was fine and accommodated us to our table right away.

Gordon Ramsay’s maze in Melbourne is actually two restaurants–one is maze and the other one is maze Grill. maze is a fusion of French and Australian cuisines while maze Grill offers sizzling meat and fish hot off the char grill presented on custom made Australian timber boards.

Stylish interiors and high ceilings were the first two things that I noticed. Although it may seem a little on the formal side, it is actually not. Smart casual is an acceptable attire for lunch at maze Grill.

Maze Grill by Gordon Ramsay (Melbourne, Australia)

An open kitchen located at the far end of the restaurant. We can see the chefs cooking our food.

maze Grill offers private dining areas for guests who prefer seclusion while dining. There are only three of this intimate areas so be sure to book beforehand.

Our choice of drinks: white wine for the Mr and orange juice for the Mrs.

We were served Rosemary bread and butter. Very flavourful bread.

For starters, we had Crispy soft shell crab with Harrissa mayonnaise. This was my first time to try Harrissa mayo and I loved it. The soft shell crab was crunchy and fresh.

For our salad, we chose the Watermelon, Feta and Avocado Salad with lime dressing. Refreshing. I never knew that combining three of my favorites, watermelon, feta and avocado, can be this delicious.

The Husband’s main course was the maze Grill burger with a siding of beetroot, avocado and tomato. Perfectly grilled and very juicy on the inside. The best burger we’ve tasted. We noticed a lot of guests ordered this burger and once we’ve tasted how good it was, we knew why.

What’s a burger without French fries?

Whole-grilled Poussin with Lemon and Harissa was a delight to the senses. I smelled it even before it arrived on our table. The combined fragrance of grilled chicken with the hint of spice, cinnamon and lemon wafted through the air, I almost tasted it. Truly an unforgettable gastronomical experience right there and then. And the taste? Chicken heaven inside my mouth. The poussin was tender, juicy and flavourful. Simply a beautiful dish.

There’s not much room left in our tummy but I insisted we at least share a dessert. We ordered Mini Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup. In Australia, we call them Profiteroles but in other countries, they are called Cream Puffs.

I was amused with the presentation of this dish. The ice cream was sandwiched between six mini profiteroles. It looked so cute! The profiteroles tasted a bit bland but the ice cream and chocolate syrup made up for the sweetness I hoped for.

I paired our dessert with Peppermint Tea to help in digesting all the great food we ate and enjoyed so much!

Our lunch took two hours….two wonderful hours. We almost forgot about the time. There’s nothing like savouring food and cherishing every moment of a gastronomical indulgence.

I’m grateful for the staff of maze Grill for their hospitality and I commend their chefs for all the beautiful, delicious food they served us. They made my Husband’s birthday celebration a very happy one.
maze Grill Melbourne
Level 1, Crown Metropol
Corner of Whiteman and Clarendon Streets,
Southbank, Victoria 3006
For online reservations, please click here.
A Wife’s Charmed Life visited maze Grill as an anonymous guest on 17 September 2010.

Restaurant: Cafe Andiamo (Melbourne, Australia)

10 October 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food, Travel

We celebrated my Husband’s birthday early as we planned to explore exhibitions and do some shopping that day. Our first stop was breakfast at Degraves Street. We’ve dined at a few restaurants in this laneway before but we wanted a new place to try out this time. May not be a good decision especially on a special occasion but I’m glad choosing Cafe Andiamo turned out to be a good dining experience.

There seemed to be a fast turnover of customers when we arrived in the small but cozy cafe. I observed a mixture of people dropping by for a quick breakfast before going to work and travelers like us who have more time on our hands to savour our fresh cup of coffee.

For a long day ahead, I started with a cup of Cafe Americano.

While the Husband enjoyed his Cafe Latte.

Big breakfast for the birthday boy! Generous servings of bacon, beans and mushrooms.

My Eggs Benedict! Two halves of an English muffin, topped with ham, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. Eggs were perfectly poached and the sauce not too creamy. I love that they served their Eggs Benedict with vegetables for that extra healthy factor.

I wouldn’t mind going back here to have a taste of their Eggs Benedict again.

Cafe Andiamo also serves Italian pizza, pasta and risotto dishes for lunch and dinner.

Cafe Andiamo
36 Degraves St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Tel.:9650 8060

A Wife’s Charmed Life visited Cafe Andiamo as an anonymous guest on 17 September 2010.

Coffee Concept Store : Sensory Lab (Melbourne, Australia)

7 October 2010 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Food, Photography, Travel

We slept in on our second day in Melbourne so we decided to just have coffee to give us the good wake up that we deserved on a holiday. Our feet led us to David Jones because I read about a coffee concept store called “Sensory Lab” that can be found inside their store.

The moment we arrived, I knew we were going to have a very interesting (if not unforgettable) experience.

We were greeted by servers dressed in lab coats—how cool was that? And the interiors of the cafe? Very lab-like! I felt like I had been transported back to 3rd-year high school attending Chemistry class.

They served us water in a laboratory bottle.

Their sugar in brown small bottles.

Their menus in clipboards.

Very science geeky, aye?

They have a comprehensive list of coffee blends and single-origin beans and offer four types of brewing one of which is the siphon method. The siphon method is an intensive way of brewing coffee with the use of a coffee syphon or vac pot. Thru this method, it preserves the taste of the beans and minimizes the bitterness.

They recommended the Tanzania blend to us and when they served our coffee, they advised us to wait two minutes before we drink them. It is also recommended not to add milk or sugar to truly appreciate the flavour of coffee.

The Tanzania siphoned coffee had an aggressive sour taste. One thing I learned about coffee during my time at the Sensory Lab was that coffee beans are the seeds of a cherry-like fruit, hence, it is but normal for coffee to be sour.

For the first time, we were able to experience tasting pure coffee and I loved it!

Sensory Lab
David Jones, 297 Little Collins St,
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 9643 2222