Melbourne Trip II: Queen Victoria Market

Its been a hectic week with little sleep.  But watching Spain advance from one stage to another, however makes up for that.  My first few days was spent around the city for shopping and eating.  One of the places where I had my very first meal was at the Queen Victoria Market.

Morning brekkie:

Bratwurst to share!

This place has been here for ages.  And that applies to the crowd too.  Its not the best thing ever but it tastes quite good.

After that Xin Ling and I had:

Does anyone else remember these little jam filled delights? At only 90 cents, these are Krispy Kreme beaters!!  But these dry guys need a refreshment which is easily found all over QVM:

xD.

Oh and in my last post I wrote about some Solo performance at the Moon which was totally emo?  There was this other guy playing music in the market and he was fabulous.  He added serenades the atmosphere with a happy feel.  So unlike the performance the other guy did at the Moon.

Ok folks, thats all for now.  Will continue updating as soon as I can because I have tonnes of pictures to post up!

WenY

Touch Down: Melbourne!

Its amazing how you can pay 1000 bucks on a Qantas flight that serves you crap food with the WORST in flight entertainment you could get for that money.  But its ok, Melbourne has a lot to offer if you can put up with that sort of service. 

For today, a rush down Swanston for a big ass meal at the Meat & Wine Co. was sufficient.  I shared a meal of meat and chips with Kelvin, Xin Ling and Stefanie.  We had a 1kg pork rib @ $49, a lamb shank @ $28 and a $32 Angus Beef Butcher Skewer.  All these were delish but the Butcher Skewer a specialty, came last in ranks because it held the least substance for a yummy meaty meal.  The rack and the lamb shank on the other hand were fabulous.

This by size is competition for Tony Romas but the taste on the other hand well.. its pretty good.  Definitely above average.  Over and out, beds calling :D!

WenY

Despair in the Departure Lounge.

I’m finally setting off to the Melbourne in less than an hours time.  But the brain is no longer feeling the excitement.  Maybe its just how sad the domestic airport really is.  Bleah!  So uncool.  Nothing much to eat, to shop or even see! Damn!  Wonder where all the money the spent on went.  Hmmmm…?  Probably just on the undercover walk path!  But its ok.  I’ll be meeting the little girl again soon!  And shopping too! Hohoho!  On last night however was no different.  A joyous yet somewhat saddening occasion.  Not sure whether was it the music or that one of my besties are leaving forever(ok not so, he’s coming back in two months time).  Last night I was out chilling with Yobi and fishman.  Fishman is not leaving but Yobi is! Dang!  He’s pretty emo about this whole thing too, but the apple strudel should cheer him up a bit.  This again is one of my old man lines but, I really cannot believe how far we have come in our lives.  Its an achievement for sure.

Yesterday night we headed to the Moon for some live music.  The place has and always been outstanding.  Ambience, crowd and food.  Love their catchy logo too! Their interior of junk was no difference.  Its arrangement was a wizardry of cosiness and comfort with a hint of laziness on its old couches.

Nothing gets better than hot chocolate on a chilly winter night.  Ok maybe not so, a good company has similar praise as well.  Whether its for a good chat or to snug with, good company never dies!

For the night we had some Jesus/Russel Brand inspired emo-kid strumming his tunes all night long.  I think that dude was on for at least an hour. And god his tunes were @.@!  Not sure how they found him but I only liked his 2nd song.  And that is like 1/10?

Presenting to you, African Child.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Ok peeps, the plane is waiting so I gotta get running. Ciaows!

WenY

Date Night Bites: Oliver’s @ Northbridge

After the exams on Friday, I had a small celebration at the Mexican Villa with my sister and mates but that was just a little fire starter I promise.  Next Thursday I’d be running down Swanston in Melbourne like a mad man.  Probably ransacking every single nook and cranny for food.  From the largest restaurants to the little hidden lots in Central. My god I can’t wait for Melbourne.  The trip I booked for, months ago is now just a stone’s throw away.  Its all so awesome!  But meanwhile, as I let time catch up with me, I’ve been out and about eating the quantity I have missed during the mugging period. 

 

On Monday was a fine night out with a special person at a certain restaurant I’ve not visited in ages.  I suggested Oliver’s for a good night out ;-)!  We started off with a little starter in which its size had us startled.

8 slices like any pizza.  The sweet onion Bianca was quite a delicious eat :D!  She didn’t like it too sweet and this was OK for her.  But I think it was not ahah.  But in the end she ate just as much me hoho!  Not quite true :P She ate half a slice lesser than me.  I think she would have preferred the Bianca @ Sphagi in South Perth better.

Soon after the appetizer arrived, we ordered our mains.  Not sure what's with her and people but oh they liked her so.  The waitress was like “What would you like darling?” and that was just the beginning of the many “darlings” she had that night.  I ordered a fillet steak that night.  The description sounded fantastic.  “Pan Seared Fillet Steak with Wood Roasted Capsicum, Tomato and Basil Salsa on a Buttered Rocket Mash”.  And I must insist, the meal sounds and taste as good as it is meant to be.  Liked the way the garnishing has never changed for the past 4 years.  The beef was cooked to order and BAM the mash was good.  The buttered rockets was well done.  It did not exhibit even the slightest hint of bitterness. Kudos to the chef!  I have never liked rockets in my salads.  And that is if I were to even eat salad.

Lovely steak!

His:

Hers:

And for the her, she had the Mt. Barker Chicken.   Funny name really, sounds like the free range chicken you’d buy buy the butcher :P!  Regardless of its name, the chicken tasted fantastic.  Liked the way the chef did the stuffing.  The chicken was stuffed with Chorizos, Feta & Sun Blushed Tomatoes.

For all the reasons I have to hate breast meat, this one has none.  No soft bone out of no where, no sad & dry tastelessness, no over charred parts.  I think this was a better pick compared to the beef!

After having our mains and the appetizer, we were filled to the brim.  The cold that has us like hungry ghost remained but the hunger was gone! Yipee! ahah.  But since we’ve already come so far, I thought we might as well have dessert.  She is after all a dessert person!  We had problems deciding.  We liked two desserts but had other ones that we favoured too.  We almost decided to try the Oliver’s Dessert Platter, the waitress managed to tell us its assortment and luckily she did,because what we liked were not on.

Subsequently,..

..my choice was Oliver’s Crème Brulee:

and hers was the Wild Berry and Apple Crumble:

This time my dessert definitely oust hers ahaha!  The size, the sweetness, the complexity.  The Crème Brulee for the win!  This is like the first time I’m eating a proper non-packed one. Pretty saddening considering this is one of my favourite desserts of all time.

Good night, good place.  The first time I came here was when I started studying.  The price gave me a seizure but its all normal now.  Phewh!  Would definitely come back here if I am filling generous.

P.s.: Sorry for the weird lighting!  The restaurant was dim and we were seated not too far away from the street lamppost.

WenY

Bites: Pancho’s Mexican Villa @ Victoria Park

The exam week is gone and I have never felt this good for the year.  At least not yet :D!  After an early Saturday with my relative for dim sum, I headed home for a good lazy evening rolling all over my bed.  Oh god, that was such a good activity I must insist.  It’s been a long time since I had a chance to do so!  Mmm the feeling of rolling rolling rolling =D!  That is totally awesome!  Dinner time soon came and hohohoho! I told the guys we should have something different.  Not Chinese, not Indian, not Malay, not Korean, not Italian, not Western, and definitely no Japanese.  I guess you get what I’m trying to say.  So we decided to try anything that catches our eye on Vic Park!  It did not take us long to decide really. We ended up eating in a Mexican restaurant within the first few clicks of the Cannington entrance to Victoria Park.

Upon entrance to the restaurant we were greeted by a lady only to be told  “oh god, you’re here without a booking?”  That definitely caught us by surprise as we did not expect the place to be full.  Luckily enough the manager managed to squeeze us in before a customer booking was to be satisfied.  We had the whole hour to ourselves and that is quite sufficient :)!

Oh yeah people.  Vote for Pedro!  They say this place has been running for 20years +!  That is wicked!

We first started with a Supreme Nachos @$18.00 to share!  Asked for spicy and we sure got we wanted.  Not a killer to be honest.   But it came quite expectedly because most Caucasians simply cannot eat really spicy food!  (Sorry for the lack of pictures! I only have one good picture of my main :D!)

This is my err beef taco with chicken and cheese enchiladas @ $22!  Kelvin had something similar to mine while my sister and yh had the Grande!  A wholesome Mexican coverage with 4-5 dishes!

Overall this place is OK.  But I personally felt like dying due to the cheese overload.  Cannot imagine how my sister and yh felt considering they are not big cheese fan ahaha.  I guess Mexican fare really is not our kind of food :)!  But I have to say, the mains were quite yummy! I particularly love the crispy skin beef taco!  Nothing that I cant make though =X!

Oh but on a side note, the Nachos were not at its best that night.  It was soggy and felt like biting into a biscuit that has lost its crispiness.  Quite disgusting :(!

Nonetheless, it was good that I had something different to eat.  Not the common Asian or Western fare which we do so well at home yet we opt to pay tens of dollars having it outside!

WenY! 

Kelvin’s Birthday: Ciao Italia!!

It’s been almost three years since I first met Kelvin and oh boy time does pass real quickly.  It’s the 2nd I’m celebrating his birthday, the first being a middle of the night bang into his room to give him his present, an event in which he could barely comprehend with his sleepy face.  But the character however is not much of a mover, other than a few peculiar periods he is still pretty much the same guy.  We celebrated his birthday on the study week before we hit full throttle for the period.  After a few short moments of thinking I was thought, hey why not go to Ciao Italia since we have not been there for ages.

The chef putting his full attention to detail for a soon to be served Mussel in Pesto sauce.

It seems like the place has become a whole lot bigger with the addition of the new dining area on the left.  With weird Italian granddads taking orders coming together with really good food, this place really is a nice place to eat. Minus the waiting time and queue that is.  There are several favourites among the crowd and that would me the Fettuccini Ciao Italia and the Calzone.  God the Calzone is massive taste.  But the my winner of the night was not something served on regular basis.  It was a special.

The Mussels cook in a basil pesto sauce.  Loved it to bits.  Would have coated fresh pasta with its delicious sauce if it was provided.  Massive stuff.  Unfortunately Ciao Italia does not serve this on a regular basis.

Fresh tomato salad was heavenly with its zesty flavour.  The filling of the calzone is a hidden weapon.

The Fettuccini Ciao Italia was a tale of two standards.  My table had an overcooked cream feel while Kelvin’s was perfectly cooked! Damn! Nonetheless, two serves had them tummies filled bottoms up!

Penne Vodka was nothing much to shout about.  I did not really get the taste.  Maybe I was too busy indulging in the other dishes. =X can’t blame me considering the already plenty number of delicious food on the table.

The Sweet Chilli King Prawn pizza was Yvonne’s favourite and I can see why with Ciao Italia’s generous portions of toppings :D!

After having our main, we had Ciao Italia’s crew do a birthday quickie for Kelvin!

Shy with the S was his reaction.  But obviously granddad is having one hell of a time. ahaha

Dessert followed soon after.  No one should give the Tiramisu a miss regardless of how full you are.  A bit drenched in alcohol on that day but its taste still held the word divine in its place.

Xin Ling one the other hand tried something creative with strawberries overkill.

You decide the overkill.  But truth be said, the overkill lies in the inside where too much custard killed the dessert.  But I guess I’m just not used to it!!

Ciao Italia is awesome.  No doubt!  Looking forward to a NEXT time.  And truth be said.  With a timely group of people, waits are not all that bad :P!

Exams are over so chow outside *****!

WenY

WenY is too busy

Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy Been too busy .

Gone ninja. BRB after exams.

Bites: Toto @ Victoria Park

Yessh!! The semester finally ends today and its time to celebrateeeeeeeee!  Time to go clubbing, movies and just do nothing xD! :P Okla I would be lying if I said I’m in the celebration mood T.T!  The end of the semester signals the start of a very limited 1 week study break.  Nonetheless the mind does not work well with a hungry tummy.  Before dinner we did some grocery in Broadway, and the uncle at the oriental shop told me that Korean instant noodles stimulate the brain which is good for studies =.=”!  Not that its true or anything but I did buy 1 packet of it ahaha. After doing the essential groceries we went home to have some rest before getting Jim and Kelvin for dinner.  We ordered dishes this time instead of the usual noodles because my sister told us they had some pretty good dishes to go with rice!

And that is well hmmm, partly true?  Luckily enough, 3 of the 5 dishes were worthy of being put up on here:

The crispy fish with ToTo’s fish sauce.  Not sure what its name is but I do know there is a picture of it ahaha. Oh yeah and the sauce is clear by the way :P  Fishman’s dream come true.  He hasn’t had his fish for ages now..!

Butter Prawns.  While its name and picture on the menu portrays all the characteristic of a classic liquid-y butter prawn, be fooled not.  Its really something different.  There is a lingering fragrant of butter all over this dish but its does not taste like it should.  Not as nice as the classic if you’d asked me =X!

Jim’s fav and probably my favourite as well.  The mayonnaise spare ribs were killer stuff.  With the exception of its serving.  Pretty small :(!  I think I had two pieces, Jim had two and the rest only had 1 :(!  But it tasted nice although the sauce was not as thick as the normal Peking ribs coated with mayonnaise.  It was the best of the lot :)!!

Overall, Toto is a good place to eat if you come knowing what you’re looking for. I came here and tried 5 dishes only to find 3 are OK and the other 2.. disastrous.  Horrendous horrendous.  Their sizzling supreme chicken is disgusting and all their stir-fry vegetables are nothing more than a bad joke.  Really a put off seeing the way those two dishes were done.  If you’re here for noodles, I’ve tried the beef hor fun, and the pork & prawn noodles soup which is OK only.  I would have preferred Viet Nosh @ Hampden Road and Tra Vinh @ Northbridge if it was nooodles soup that I wanted.

Ok enough of food talk now. 10 days to exam. 1 month to Melbourne.  Now we’re talking. It’s countdown.

WenY

Back to Basics: Eastpak Core Series Floyd!

After many years of having to lug my messenger bags around, I’ve finally fallen back to the basics.  I realise that having a messenger bag is no help when you have a sore back that feels like a 1000 needles prickling your back or a constant burning feeling =(!

My new backpack finally arrived from the UK today! It carries a 15 inch laptop happily along with some books if required!  Weee~~  The price is ok too! About 70 bucks compared to the $120 price tag in Australian shops!

 

Now all I’m needing is a new laptop to replace the ageing Toshiba which died twice in one day on a cold winter night. OMG?!  Nonetheless a cheap one would suffice!

 

WenY

Bites: Terrazza @ Applecross

It might just be a fortnight ago from my last entry but it feels like forever since I last blogged.  Many things has happened.  From me falling sick to the insane thesis weeks + + loads of other things happening.  This is all too much from my brain to take!!! *fizzles*!  Important dates to remember 7-12-15-18 of June – 2010.  Finals are coming up!  Nonetheless, I’ve been craving for a lot of yummy food this week which… did not turn out too well!  Yesterday I booked Kanta for 6 people.  But I had 7 people in total. My gawd @@! They refuse to sit us.  So we left VERY UNHAPPILY.  The biggest issue was not the fact that we needed to wait.  But it was caused by the fat bitch who so unfriendly replied my requests for an extra sit.  Its not called hospitality for nothing mate.

XL + Me

Today on the other hand we craved for Italian.  We headed to Ciao Italia @ 8 pm hoping for a short wait.  But that ain’t happening buddy.  A table for 6 is a minimum wait of 45 minutes.  Feeling that there was no need to wait, we headed straight to our backup place.  Terazza @ Applecross.  Funny is it not?  I had Ohnamiya at my door step, I went to Applecross.  Now I have Terazza Nedlands, but I am in Applecross for it.  However, it is today that I found a new love.  So what did we order?

My noob sister.

Kelvin’s  Spaghetti Ambrusco. 

He think it is OK only.  I can not help but second his statement.  This noodles lacked taste so badly.  The flavour is so subtle it caused a certain dissatisfaction within me. =X!

Sister’s and Yv’s Penne Mafiosa with Penne being replaced by Spaghetti. 

Top grade pasta @ Hampden road but the quality is not as good here at Applecross.  The tomato taste was too strong for my sister’s liking and the asparagus were on the raw side!

Xin Ling’s Penne Gondola with the Penne changed to Fetuccini.  I can’t help but love the girls.  Their choice to not have Penne is something I agree with so much.  I hate Penne @.@!

She liked her pasta.   But she could not do it justice and so I finished her bit.  I loved the mixture of sundried tomatoes and mustard when I had it.  Yumms!

My love:

The lamb shank here is kickass.  I never thought I would order this considering the disastrous shank I had @ the one in Nedlands.  This was definitely different.  The lamb shank here is so tasty and oh, the ever so lovely mash that came with it was fantabulous @.@! My sister and Xin Ling thought it was a yummy dish as well.  I bet they were jealous they did not order this hohoho!

Another view of the lamb shank!

We were done for after the meal.  Or at least I was done for.  I had the lamb shank, some of XL’s fettuccini gondola and my sister’s ala vodka.  Filled to the rim!! But the girls look like they’ve just started after the meal and were craving for some tiramisu.  XL on the other hand opted for a cheesecake to share!

Tiramisu @ Terazza!

Mmmm, may the Fat be with you. xD!  It was too bitter for Xl and I.  Probably signifying an alcohol overdose.  But my sis seemed fine with it.  She and Yv finished two of this Tiramisu.  Once each!

The Pina Colada cheesecake.  As its name suggests, this cake had a tropical intent with a liquor weapon.  While I am a fan of tropical, I’m not quite so keen with liquor.  The Pineapple tasted like its been swimming in alcohol its whole life and gosh, even the shredded coconut was liquor-ed!  @.@!  It should be nice to some people, but just not me!!

Terazza is a place that I would come to eat quite a fair bit every semester.  Maybe 2-3 times?  The food here is always decent although the pricing is a bit more expensive than other restaurants.  The one in Applecross is no exception.  Yummy food.  Oh, but note that the covered outdoor sitting was crap.  It suddenly became a waterfall during the rain @@!  Glad we sat just at the border between the alfresco and the inside dining area.  One thing I realise is that the quality of the food varies from one location to another despite being the exact same thing.  The Ala Vodka is usually superb @ Hampden while this one is just “OK” only.  The lamb shank here is awesome when compared to the one @ Hampden road.  OMG! Dilemma dilemma.  Next time:

If you’re feeling like pasta –> Hampden

And if you’ are feeling like Lamb Shank –> Applecross.

WenY