Happy birthday Stephanie!

I miss working out with you! :(

Breakfast:

Banana

Other half of the pistachio & pear pastry
(Not the best breakfast ever, esp after a workout, but I was running late and this seemed healthier than the cheesecake.)

Lunch:

Oatmeal cooked w/cinnamon, 1/2 banana, green kiwifruit & walnuts (ate half)
(Nathalie ended up running late as well, so I went back to make some real "breakfast".) 

Rest of the crème brûlée
(Ate this with the oatmeal actually. The hard caramel was no longer hard, but it was still very rich and creamy. Went perfectly with the tart oatmeal.)

Big forkful of the dolce latte cheesecake
(Couldn't resist. I love cheesecake.)

Snack:

Rest of the cinnamon, banana & green kiwifruit oatmeal
(I think I'm starting to prefer chilled oatmeal.)

Snack:

Cabbage, corn & tomato sauce

Snack:

Rest of the dolce latte cheesecake

Snack:

Chocolate lava walnut mug cake
(The label on the applesauce jar said that I should finish it within three days of opening. It's been weeks and there was only a few spoonfuls left so I just made a mug cake. Added a piece of dark chocolate and bam, lava cake! Looks good, tasted great! I think this was one of the best mug cakes I've made. Mmm.)

30 August 2013

Breakfast:

Overnight chilled oats w/cinnamon, strawberries & green kiwifruit pieces
(Nothing like oatmeal after a run!)

Brunch from Beatrix, North Melbourne, Australia:

Chocolate brownie w/walnuts sample
(This place is lovely! Tiny but lovely. And a bit overpriced, but super filling. So I guess it's worth it. The staff told me to take as much as I wanted, but I always feel like they're judging me when they say that. Anyway, maybe my piece was too little, but I wasn't a big fan of this brownie. I liked the bitterness of the chocolate and  crunchy nuts, but that was about it. It reminded me of Central American chocolate bars, how the granulated sugar isn't always completely mixed in so you get this gritty texture. The brownie was moist, but on the gritty side. Perhaps it wasn't even a brownie but some kind of cake. I don't know. I think there was also some coffee in here because the flavour tasted slightly off-chocolate. All the other customers I observed while waiting for my sandwich seemed to love it though. So it's probably just me.)

"The Plugger": brioche bun w/pulled BBQ saucy free range pork leg, chow chow pickle slaw & pork scratchings
(I wasn't actually going to go here today, but when I checked their Facebook page -I know, right?- and saw that one of their special ciabattas featured pulled pork, I added Beatrix in. Apparently no one goes out of here unhappy and it seems like this place has a mini-cult following from their Facebook page. I'm quite happy to attest to their claims. This sandwich was wonderful, albeit pricey. But it was ridiculously huge so I guess paying $14.50 is alright by Melbourne standards. Like I can open my mouth pretty big but I couldn't take a complete bite of this sandwich. I had to wipe my nose after every bite because I kept getting mayo on it. And yes, I did eat the mayo- although a significant portion of it was squeezed out as I ate my sandwich. This pulled pork is nowhere near the classic American pulled pork standards, but that's okay. The brioche bun was soft, moist and slightly sweet on the inside and lightly toasted on the outside. I don't know what "chow chow pickle slaw" is, but it was less pickle-y than the name suggested. Nevermind, chow-chow pickle is some kind of relish according to Wikipedia. It really didn't taste like a relish though. Reminiscent of American coleslaw, but also totally different. I can't put my taste buds on it but this was kind of creamier and more savoury. Not sure. The pulled pork was lightly doused in BBQ sauce, which is good because sometimes the BBQ sauce gets too overwhelming for me. The biggest surprise was the pork scratchings, or pork rinds. I didn't expect them and initially thought they had over-toasted their bread and wondered if my tooth was chipped. Who knew that pork scratchings were the same thing as pork rinds? Regardless, it was a nice texture contrast but made eating this sandwich so much harder! My white t-shirt has a huge mayo-BBQ stain on it now. Despite its enourmous size, I managed to finish everything and am quite glad about making the detour here. Very delicious. Mmm. I'm so tempted to go back again tomorrow to try their Mexican inspired brisket, beans and jalapeno slaw sandwich.)

It was massive. I could barely hold onto it with one hand and it took me almost a mile of walking to reduce the sandwich down to this size.

Snack at Dolcetti, North Melbourne, Australia:

Dolce latte cheesecake (ate half)
(Passed by this Silician bakery and went in because it was closed the last time I stopped by. Also quite pricey, but the place was highly recommended so I figured, why not? I asked one of the employees what she liked and she literally said, "The cheesecakes!" and then immediately began listing every single other thing on display. Didn't help at all. But I did hear the cheesecakes were pretty good so I just told her to grab her favourite flavour. The sugar on top was a little unnecessary, considering the cheesecake was sweet already, but actually tasted quite good covered with the powdered sugar and crumbled pistachios from the other pastry. This cheesecake was dense, but still on the light side. Not very rich and the crust was more of the pastry tart type of crusts than the typical cheesecake crust I'm used to. Actually, now that I think about it, the crust was basically a shortbread cookie. The little glob of latte flavoured cheesecake in the centre was a nice surprise and complemented the "dolce" part well. I enjoyed it, but I don't know if I'd actually go back and order another one.)

The inside.

Pear & pistachio pastry tart (ate half)
(This one caught my eye immediately. I've been dying to try pear and pistachio in some sweet combination ever since I was in NYC. The pastry was light and fluffy, reminiscent of a cross between a puff pastry and a doughnut.  I think I should have gone with my gut instinct because this was amazing. The flavour of the pear was so prominent, further enhanced by the crunchiness and unique flavouring of the pistachio. I loved that the pastry itself wasn't sweet because the pears were very sweet. Light, crisp and fluffy dough, crunchy little pistachio bits and sweet, baked pears. Winning combination! So good. Mmm.)

Snack from the Spanish Donuts - Churros Truck, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne, Australia:

Churro w/icing sugar (dusted most of it off)
(Apparently the best churro place in the city, but it's not even comparable to the ones I can get slightly off-the-streets in California. But I guess it's pretty decent. I'm used to them dusted with cinnamon and not saturated with icing sugar. I spent more time dusting off the sugar than eating. But the dough was warm and pillowy. It was gooey on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Good texture, but I was essentially just eating good fried dough, aka a regular doughnut in churro shape. If I have fried dough cravings, I'll go here but there's something off-putting about this place.)

Snack at The Waffle Club, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne, Australia:

Pandan waffle (w/o the extra coconut shavings) w/banana slices, strawberry slices, vanilla ice cream & maple syrup
(I am so, so disappointed. This pandan waffle looked nothing like the pictures or the traditional ones, and I'm pretty sure I was missing about an eighth to a quarter of my waffle. The heat was way too high for this, because it was like eating a doughnut in waffle form. There was no soft filling part; everything was crisp and almost fried. I couldn't taste the pandan at all, but I do know there was a significant amount of coconut in it because my throat had a very minor allergic reaction to it.  The guy did tell me there was coconut powder in it, but he said there was trace amounts and I can eat a bit of coconut usually. I don't really care about the reaction since it happens all the time whenever I decide to go for coconut, but what I do care about is the fact that I wouldn't have known had I not had the reaction. The flavours of the coconut and pandan were that subtle, most likely buried underneath the fried flavour. For a waffle that was made right before my eyes, it wasn't even warm! The ice cream didn't even melt! I'm glad I asked for less maple syrup though, because the fruit and ice cream were already sweet, but the toppings were the saving grace of this. Very disappointed in this $9 waffle. Perhaps I should have just stuck to their Belgian liege waffles...but I missed pandan waffles! Damn it, I probably should just go make a batch of pandan pancakes myself -since I don't have a waffle maker. The employee was nice though.)

29 August 2013

Brunch:

Chickpea, lentil, strawberry & "light" cheese chunk salad

Dinner:

Cabbage, corn & tomato sauce

Snack:

Rest of the blood orange chocolate gâteau
(I don't understand how this cake is still so moist. I just left it in my fridge uncovered and it's like I just bought it.)

Night snack:

Black sesame & walnut oatmeal cake
(Sometimes I try too hard to be healthy. This was like a mug pancake. Still good, but interesting because I've never really had pancakes in that kind of shape. Yogurt would have tasted fantastic with this.)

28 August 2013

Breakfast:

Two spoonfuls of overnight chilled oats w/black sesame, black pepper & cinnamon

Walnuts

Snack:

Half of overnight chilled oats from earlier

Snack:

Rest of the overnight chilled oats from earlier

 Snack:

Cabbage, corn & tomato sauce (+some "light" cheese & two strawberries, not pictured)

27 August 2013

Brunch:

Chickpea & lentil salad w/"light" cheese slices

Lunch at Filou's Artisan Patissier, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia:

Warm apple crumble
(The employee told me they just took it out of the oven about 30 minutes ago so naturally, I had to get this. It's probably the closest to apple pie I'll ever get here, but it was still delicious on its own merits. The pastry was buttery and crunchy while the filling was moist and gooey. I loved how apple-y and cinnamon-y it was, and how there were chunks of apples rather than slices. Much more hearty. The best thing about the filling though, was that it wasn't sweet at all; the flavour of the apple really shone through, enhanced by the spices. This contrasted perfectly with the sugary, crunchy crumble topping. Absolutely loved this; perfect balance of sweetness to tart and crunchy to moist. If only it were fall back in New England...)

The inside.

Warm butter croissant (gave a bit to Nathalie)
(Finally tried their famous butter croissant!  So good. I prefer their almond croissants, but this was amazing too. Perfect flaky, buttery layers featuring an ultra moist inside and crunchy outside. The French know their own croissants. I don't like butter, but I wasn't even apprehensive about eating this croissant, even though the amount of butter they must have put in here was definitely palapable. Mmm, so good. I can totally imagine making a gorgeous veggie sandwich out of this. Croissant addictions. This is why I can't eat croissants.)

Almond croissant (ate about half)
(Still my favourite. Just as good as last time, if not better. I swear, if I could ship these out and they'd stay fresh, I'd do it immediately because this simple pleasure needs to be shared.)

 Snack at Casa del Gelato, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia:

Tiramisu, passion fruit & caramelised fig gelato (shared w/Nathalie)
(Probably the cheapest gelato I've encountered here, coming in at $5 AUD for three flavours. The lady recommended hazelnut, but I'm sadly allergic so couldn't eat that. I love fig, so the carmelised fig sounded amazing. It was not. I mean, it was good but it was also very, very alcoholic. I smelt like I was drunk when I went to class about fifteen minutes later. The fig provided more of the texture because it tasted more like some kind of sweet, caramel-y alcohol. I don't know caramel-flavoured alcohol drinks so I'll leave it at that. Passion fruit was easily mine and Nathalie's favourite. Extremely light and refreshing, and completely just brightened up the palate. I think it beats Helados Jauja's passion fruit actually. Perfectly sweet and tart with the right amount of creaminess. I could gorge on a gallon of this, maybe. Perfect summer treat though- exactly what you'd imagine the best passion fruit frozen cream-based dessert would taste like. The tiramisu was another recommendation by the lady since I couldn't decide on a third one. This was more coffee-esque than chocolate-y, but that's okay because I love coffee-flavoured desserts. It never got too sweet, and a large help in my attempts to cover the strong alcoholic content of the carmelised fig. Regarding texture of the gelatos, I was a fan. I've heard that while this place is very well-established in the community, their gelatos can sometimes be a bit on the icy side. But all three flavours were quite creamy and light; I'd actually label the carmelised fig one as borderline dense. So perhaps I came in on a good day. I want to make another trip soon to try their ricotta cheese gelato and a few others.)

Top view.

 Snack:

Finished the rest of the almond croissant
(So good.)

Snack (from Filou's Artisan Patissier, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia):

Forkful of this blood orange chocolate gâteau
(One of Filou's newer desserts! I always ask the employees what's new when I come in cutesy looking bakeries. The employee told me that it was more on the chocolately side with just a subtle hint of blood orange, but I beg to differ. While it's true that a significant portion of the gâteau is chocolate, the relatively thin layer of orange buttercream is extremely potent. Citrus is the first flavour, followed by chocolate goodness with a subtle hint of orange alcohol- perhaps Grand Marnier- and then the orange from both the alcohol and cream lingers, mixing with the last of the chocolate, but still declaring its presence. Strangely refreshing yet decadent. Similar to the previous gâteaux, this one was also incredibly light in texture. How do the French do it? All in all, it was a great large forkful. I'm saving the rest until later this week, but I wanted to sample the gâteau while it was still fresh.)

Forkful of crème brûlée (2)
(The employee recommended this until she remembered that I don't eat eggs. I love how she actually remembers what I told her and what I ordered, when the only time I've ever been in that shop was two weeks ago. I even saw the same customer from before! Another attest to how fabulous this place is. Anyway, I told her that I eat eggs when it's in
crème brûlée and she insisted that I had to try one. I love this place. That is all I can say. I have yet to consume anything I haven't enjoyed. I think this is the richest crème brûlée I've ever had, but its texture was so silky smooth and the crunchy, hard caramel topping complemented it perfectly. Caramel was dripping down from the sides of the tin and stained the white custard. Surprisingly, I didn't find the richness overwhelming and just wanted to keep consuming the creamy goodness, but that might have been because I only ate two large forkfuls. I can't wait to finish this later!)

The inside.
(I might have drank a bit of the caramel...)

26 August 2013

Brunch from Carte Crêpes at Uni Melb, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia:

the 'snickers' crêpe (melted milk chocolate, salted caramel & pb) from Eddie
(This place is in such an obscure location. I wonder how their first customers ever found them. Anyway, these crêpes were advertised as French-style, but these were the thickest French-style crêpes I've ever had! Insanely buttery too, but I liked the chewiness. It reminds me of my high school French class actually, where we all had to make crêpes and sample each others. Fun times. I think it would have tasted better if the crêpe had been warmer, or if the chocolate had actually melted. They were generous with their fillings, but I wasn't expecting thin bars of chocolate from the description. However, the abundance of chocolate went nicely with the saltiness of the caramel, pb and butter. Good flavour balance, but definitely would have been more enjoyable if all the fillings melted together. Maybe I just like messy mixtures.)

The inside.

 Late lunch:

Overnight chilled oats w/black sesame powder, cayenne pepper & black pepper (ate about half)
(More savoury than sweet, but I really enjoyed it. Actually had a really nutty taste, so it was like eating spiced nuts instead of oatmeal.)

 Snack:

Rest of the overnight chilled oats

Snack:

Some prunes

Chunk of "light" cheese
(From A Devil Wears Prada: "...when I feel like I'm about to faint, I eat a cube of cheese..."; I haven't been able to eat chunks of cheese without hearing Emily's voice in my head since watching that film.)

25 August 2013

Brunch:

Banana, cinnamon, date & walnut oatmeal
(Inspired by all the vegan foods and smoothies out there. Every single time I walk into a healthy juice bar or smoothie place, there's always some version of a banana and date blend. The only problem with dates is that sometimes they're not completely pitted, so a napkin is handy to have nearby. Other than that, this was like dessert. Morning yoga, banana date oatmeal and answering emails... cozy and lazy Sunday morning.)

Late lunch:

Green tea, chickpea & lentil salad w/"light" cheese shavings
(Even though I washed the canned chickpeas numerous times, they were still salty. Ugh. The slight bitterness of the cheese was a good contrast to the saltiness though.)

Snack:

Walnuts

Dinner:

Cabbage & corn tomato "soup"
(It's not very soup-like. Sort of like cabbage and corn in tomato sauce. It's very warming though - probably due to how spicy it is.)

 Snack:

Several prunes w/some milo powder

24 August 2013

I woke up and told myself to go run, said it would be over in thirty minutes and afterward I could spend the day in pajamas. But then I got inspired and ended up running 10.4k within an hour (and there were hills)! THIS IS GREAT. Man, I need to do this more often. I'm still energized from this run.

ENDORPHINS HIGH BRUNCH:

Banana cinnamon chocolate walnut oatmeal w/a strawbery
(Another brunch in bed. New twist to my Amherst "Sundays".)

 Late lunch:

Boiled cabbage w/black sesame mashed potato, peas & corn
(I had a potato and didn't know what to do with it. Regular potatoes have no flavour to me, so I decided to just mash the one potato I had and since I don't buy salt, I added black sesame powder as a flavour enhancer. Dude, it works. Sounds weird and I was even skeptical, but it worked.)

Snack:

Cabbage, corn & tomato soup
(I was a bit hestiant to try this, knowing what it looked like before the simmering, but it's actually not bad! Perhaps a bit acquired, but definitely something I might make again. Well, if I had a grilled cheese sandwich or actual pasta I might make this again, otherwise probably not. I think I added too much cayenne pepper so this is more of a spicy tomato-based sauce with corn; the cabbage is my "pasta". Quite spicy, but the tomatoes add a slightly sweet tartness.)

Late night snack:

Walnuts w/dark chocolate square (not pictured)