I Eat In Dim Places

After more than a week having internet trouble and multiple dining expeditions, ironically all my brain can contain is a ridiculously simple recipe from The Silver Spoon (to which I have added a touch of German):

Grab pork chops (preferably organic or free range), olive oil, touch of butter, yellow or orange capsicum, 1 flattened clove of garlic for every two pork chops. Thinly slice capsicum, season pork chops. Get heavy-based pan, heat up olive oil and touch of butter to coat pan, brown pork chops until golden brown, drop capsicum slices around pork chops. Cover with lid, place on low-medium heat for 15 minutes, drop garlic into oil half way through, shake pan every so often. Serve pork chops with capsicum on top. The sticky sweetness of the capsicum sauce will complement the tender pork chops. Accompany with roast vegetables and sauerkraut.

Given that I eat in dim places and I actually went to a mix of old & new venues over the last few days, it probably is best for me to provide a summary ratings sheet. No, sorry, no photos. It is difficult trying to get photos without attracting attention in candle-lit places:

Yarraville - a girls' night out at the movies was in the offering, but instead we lounged in the comfortable seats of Acqua e Vino. Dark wooden floorings, diverse sets of couches, old films being projected on a white wall, serving staff in vests. The 'beverage list' was more like a directory, befitting a bar that has been a finalist in the Bar of the Year awards since it opened. The food was just splendid for a wine bar. I had black and white sesame seed trevally skewers with aioli and a light salad. Oh the joy of perfectly cooked and cumin-seasoned fish when matched with the right accompaniments. I had a glass of Trentworth 2004 Victorian nebbiolo with this dish while my friends shared a bottle of Montgomery Hill 2004 Cabernet Franc.

It is dangerous to have, at so many single girls' disposal, copious amount of wines and food. Soon the others had polished off two bottles of sauvignon blanc and another bottle of the Cabernet Franc, calamari and two rounds of dips. Moving to the stickies was always dangerous for me amidst such a group, but I had to since no dessert appealed to me. A sweet riesling and a light muscat, both from Victoria. I must admit that stickies have become more appealing to me since I moved to the cold windy climates of Victoria which necessitated drinks in warm dens with dark chocolate truffles, good books and long pondering.

Then I sunk into my old, red armchair as I pretended to appreciate the grumblings and complaints of the ladies about the (lack of) decent men to date above the too-loud background music (the one jutting shortcoming of the place I would say)...

Rating: Food is 4&1/2 stars, drinks are 4 stars, service + ambience for the night was 3 stars.

Docklands: It gets problematic when you recommend a place you think people will like for a late group lunch. They may have seen the menu in advance, they may have been quite happy with the prices and the setting of the place. Then they finish lunch. The complaining starts coming thick and fast: oh where was our free bread? Oh this food is so pricey, even if it is good. Oh the drinks are so expensive, they must be skinning heaps of money off people who work around here.

Small wonder I had to order a Tuscan Sunset (Prosecco, Aperol, Campari) so I would not say anything I could regret. Needless to say, I wondered whether I had actually over-exerted my expectations in bringing this group to Va Bene. Tough, fussy or demanding? I wondered. They cleared out quickly enough, leaving a small group of us to meander over the 'expensive' drinks and make small talk. Fortunately the place was accommodating for us until we went to Alumbra at the end of the pier for Happy Hour drinks.

Rating: Food 31/2 stars, drinks 31/2 stars, service and atmosphere 4 stars.

City: when friends from interstate come to visit, you want to bring them to nice places. You bring them to cosy places for drinks, you bring them to friendly places for breakfast and coffees, you bring them to hidden gems for dinner and more drinks. You want to show them the best of the city, the uniqueness of the city you have chosen to live in. At the same time, celebrations over their being in town must be held.

Thus commenced a dizzy tour over the weekend of -

• Council House 2 for a bottle of shiraz the first night and coffees + desserts the second night (love the service, still in love with the Dutch Mess -Oranges Five Ways);
• Brother Baba Budan for a coffee with the early Saturday morning crowd. As DL marvelled at the effort people displayed in getting to their daily doses of caffeine, I chose the Panama Saint Teresa, a sweet coffee with touch of nutmeg;
• Queen Victoria Market so that DL could get his fix of bratwurst, Polish sausage and olives with anchovies. Feli also treated us to Coffin Bay oysters;
• Caffe Solarino for lunch via a seasonal menu. It was a good day for a zuppa of potata pancetta and leek, though I probably would have ordered the whole-crab spaghetti in a heartbeat if it was on the menu again. On the other hand, Feli had some doubts about whether she had been served a prawn spaghetti instead of a blue swimmer crab meat spaghetti, and professed her preference for the thickness of bologneses & ragus over the lightness of olive oils & garlic when it comes to pasta sauces;
• Chocolat Fraus (North Melbourne) for a pre-dinner hot chocolate with SY. We also shared a Funky Monkey i.e. a banana and nutella crepe with baileys. Yuuuuuuuum :P;
• Gills Diner to celebrate AF's graduation and JQ's birthday. Love this place not just because it is hidden in a laneway off Little Collins Street in atypical Melburnian fashion and I can dress up (JQ's gf almost immediately spotted it as a Life With Bird creation, sharp eye that girl has). The menu changes constantly so you never know what you will get but you know it will be excellent. My scampi risotto was so intensely flavoured I thought a seafood consomme as opposed to a seafood stock had been used. The spinach & ricotta fritter was marvellous, as were the smoked eel fritter and the farmhouse terrine. All this I matched with an '05 riesling from Geelong. In the meantime, the rest chowed down on zuppa of zucchini, King Island rib eye fillet, herbed veal cutlet with green beans, chestnut tagliatelle with a mushroom ragu, spaghetti marinara, pine mushroom pate and baked snapper fillet. Two bottles of wine, along with the generous portions, convinced the crowd that dessert was unnecessary though enticing (peach tea creme brulee...);
• Caffe Segarino for Sunday brunch. I tend to avoid cafes on Block Lane due to the tourist crowds it draws, but in this case I had to admit that I enjoyed my mocha and poached eggs on fried polenta with mushrooms and basil pesto;
• Chom Chom for 'cheng teng' (cooling ice drink common in Singapore and Malaysia), steamed glutinous rice cakes with pickled radish (otherwise known as Zhui Kueh) and minced pork mee-pok (otherwise known as Ba Cho Mee). I keep forgetting I do not like fishballs and meatballs that they tend to add in the minced pork mee-pok. DL devoured the wet ho fun while I just enjoyed the memories of home in the place;
• Brunetti for high tea with AF and her family after a tea shopping trip at Lupicia (my favourite tea shop in Melbourne). I ordered a mocha affogato and two mini 'scorpion tails' for AF's photo taking. If nothing else, I have utmost respect for Brunetti's ability to churn out the practicalities of 'la vita dolce'. Small wonder the place is one of the most famous dessert venues in Melbourne.

Rating: all stars round for making LS a fat but happy little piggy. I think I will stick to eating at home for the next few days :)

Do I like coffee?

I really don’t like to drink coffee because it always sour and bitter. That’s what I always told my sister when she asked me whether I‘d like to sit and have a cup of coffee with her. But it‘s changing, now I has to have a cup of coffee everyday not because of caffeine but for its aroma. Actually, I feel sleepy after drinking a nice cup of coffee.

My sister asked me when we went to Jasper with LS that I said I don’t like coffee but why I want to try coffee here. A good question but should ask quietly because now there were 3 pairs of eyes looking at me, including Jasper’s staff, they wanted to know my answer. ‘Umm…but these are good coffee beans, I can make an exception’, was my answer. Apparently, it was a good answer because I get an approval from the staff.

The question was which coffee we should drink that day because there were too many choices. So, LS and I literally put our heads in coffee beans buckets to smell which bucket we like most. The winner was Rwanda Cyangugu. It has a banana toffee flavor, pepper spice and cedar scent. We came back there a week later to taste Jamica Blue Mountain which luckily enough that we didn’t like its taste this year (2009), so that we don’t have to but $220/kg. coffee beans.

Days went by; I found my new favorite coffee café within a walking distance from my home, Brother Baba Budan. Coffee there‘s great and the important thing‘s coffee there‘s consistence no matter who’s making my coffee.

Lastest time I went there, I tried a clover machine. As I’m a new coffee lover, I just knew about clover machine when LS told me. Some said this machine’s great to draw flavor from single origin coffee. Starbucks bought a company so there are just a few machines outside Starbucks now. (250+machines around the world ‘s ‘a few’ to my standard…haha...) So, I was curious about it. I noticed BBB’s board that there‘s a word ‘clover’ but didn’t know what it means, silly me :PI was lucky enough that La Esmeralda was on a clover machine that day. This beans itself is really interesting. The staff there was kind to let me smell the freshly ground beans before she put it in the machine. It was citrus scented. After drinking, I tasted a soft acidity and a long after tasted sweet. I found out later that citrus scented in La Esmeralda’s orange and bergamot.

SL 's favorite of all time coffee? That's an easy question. I love Nicarague coffee, it 's smooth with nutty and chocolate flavour. Sometime I like to drink mocha Nicarague though the last time I drank it the chocolate was so strong that it overthrown coffee. So, I ended up drinking chocolate with coffee flavour instead of coffee with chocolate hint. :)

Saturday Brunch without a friend

I went to Gaswork farmers'market last week with LS before had brunch together at Cafe Sweethearts in South Melbourne, LS'default cafe since St.Ali fully packed. After studying a menu, I grabed 'Maxicana' breakfast; muffins topped up with poached eggs with corizo sausage, avocado, baked beans and tomatoes...yumm... For a drink, LS told me coffee here 's nice but it's too hot to drink coffee so I grabed a bottle of lemonade instead :P

While waiting for our late breakfasts, we noticed that all patrons in a cafe are either women came together or family and there was no men do Saturday breakfast together. The conversation went to it 's not a great idea to do Saturday breakfast alone because it seems a little bit sad...

My breakfast arrived at last and looked deliciously beautiful. My first bite was yumm... and I lost conversation because I was too busy eatting. Poached eggs were perfect, the yoak was oozing through sausage and baked beans before I mopped up with muffins. LS didn't bother to ask me whether it's good or not because I mopped up till the last drop :) without conversation.

A week past and it's time to go to a farmers'market again today at Abbotsford Convent. It seems to be my ritual that after shopping at farmers'market I have to have a nice breakfast, today I was thinking about either Hellenic Republic or Cumulus, Inc. Yeah, these places 're totally far apart but my place 's in the middle. So, I went back home to drop off groceries before making decision.

At last, I went to Cumulus Inc. because I want to check at Myer (it was sale today). There I am, at Cumulus Inc at long last. I planned to come here for several month but didn't have a chance either didn't have time or didn't have someone to go there with me.

I know it 's not a good idea to have breakfast alone on Saturday morning but I really want to have a good decent breakfast and so I went. After opened the door, I found a buzzing room, full of people talking and eatting. The first thing came to my mind 's no..it's really not a good idea came here alone, I had no one to talk to while waiting for a table. Ofcourse, I sat at the bar stool since I came alone.

O.K. I know now why everyone not want to go for breakfast alone, there's nothing to do during the waiting time. So, I read newspaper, watched a staff there made fresh grapefruit juice, and looked how other staffs work.

Did I mention that I made up my mind on the way here that I wanted to try 65/65 egg since many people talked about it? 65/65 egg 's an egg boiled at 65 degree for 65 minutes to get a perfect poached egg, the part of poached egg 's my own conclusion, haha.. And, what 's the perfect drink for a nice little breakfast than organic orange juice.

65/65 egg came with smoked salmon, rockets, green oak leave, avocado, capers, dill, apple, and crisp and golden toast. The combination's interesting, I have a bit and piece of all flavours; sweet, sour, bittle, salty, and aroma in one bite as well as soft and crunchy. The egg 's also nice, it's hard enough to form a egg shape but when cutting it egg white 's still running. I mopped up till the last drop as usual :P

Overall, it's alright to give up a friend for a fabulous breakfast just don't forget to bring a book to read while waitting for service...hahaha...

SL 's 'want to go' breakfast list: Hellenic republic, The European, and Balzier

A Common Interest

“MY MUM ALWAYS TOLD ME IF YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH IT SHOULD BE NOURISHED ANY TIME OF THE DAY” A quote from Hellenic Republic’s menu

A while back, I received an invite on my email from a partner of another team inviting me to a have lunch at Hellenic Republic. Scratching my head, I opened the email to look at the invitees list and realised that I was the only “outsider”. Utterly confuse and was wondering why I have been invited to a team lunch of another division, I went ahead and accepted the invite anyway. What the hell, Hellenic Republic is the last of the Calombaris’ Australian empire which I have yet to explore plus it has been on Lou & I’s to do list since it opened.

I voiced my confusion around my team and some of the initial thoughts from my very helpful team members included:

“Maybe they are trying to get you to join their team” What would I know about valuing a business?

“Oh, it might be a farewell before you are shown the door” I am sure I will be the first one to know about my “exit” if that’s the case.

“Valuation has a foodie group and the group explores a new culinary places every month” Finally, a sensible answer from my counsellee, who has definitely gained some brownie points.

So the day finally arrived where I met my like minded colleagues and headed off to Brunswick East.

Having never seen a picture of Hellenic, I have in my mind a rustic place which I guess is my association with the type of food it serves. On the contrary, Hellenic has clean lines and an open kitchen decorated mainly in blue and white which reminded me of the Greek Mediterranean. As we were shown to our table, I was greeted with “rustic” part of the place. Through the windows, outside in the courtyard, is the holy grail of Greek cuisine, The Spit!

Given that it’s my first time at Hellenic, I handed over the reins of ordering to those who knows better. The Trapezi Alpha, the smallest of the banquets which included small tastes, salads, seafood off the grill, meat off the spit and seasonal fruit, was suggested. I hesitantly agreed as my night of discomfort as a result of a “pregnant with triplets” tummy from Gigibaba was still fresh in my mind. Once we have ordered, we were told by the waiter to turn over our plates. Oh, that’s why the table was set with the plates placed upside down in the first place.

The food arrived soon after and the highlights for me were the taramosalata and meat off the spit. The balance of the saltiness of the fish roe with the acidity of lemon juice was spot on in the velvety taramosalata. The meat was flavoursome and tender with the charcoal/smoky flavour than can only be achieved on the spit. A few of my colleagues were also partial to the saganaki with wild and peppered figs, seafood pasta as well as the hand cut potatoes.

As we were enjoying our fruit platter, a colleague noticed that one of the guys behind the kitchen was Aaron, from Master Chef. Suddenly, 6 pairs of eyes staring towards the open kitchen looking for the arrogant young chef and comments such as “Maybe George lost a bet with Garry and Matt”, “I hope he is the official carrot chopper or potato peeler in the restaurant” were flying around the table. To the disappointment of most of us, Aaron was in charge of cooking something, we are not sure what.

As we waited for taxi with a full belly, I ponder on how a common interest have scored me an invite to this lunch and how it has given me an opportunity to get to know colleagues whom I have only uttered a few common courtesies in the past. Hopefully, this will change in the future as I did learn some interesting facts from/about my colleagues:

• My colleague who is getting married in August is having 2 weddings as they couldn’t find a venue in Melbourne who will fit 700 guests.
• Curtis Stone is classically trained.
• A macaroon from a famous patisserie in Paris, Laduree I think, is 8 euros and you can download its 56 pages menu online.
• There is a shop at Rathdowne Street which sells coats all year round. A life saver when you are travelling to the Northern Hemisphere during our warmer months.
• If you are recovering from a knee reconstruction, you can “walk” downhill quicker on crutches than your uninjured colleagues.

Overall, Hellenic lacks the refinement of Press Club. On the contrary, it is also unfair to compare the two as they are targeted at different price range. Having said that, I would like to go back to Hellenic for its breakfast as the Tsoureki , poached pear and manouri cheese as well as Ouzo cured salmon and scrambled eggs really took my fancy. Any takers?

Sorry for the lack of pictures. For some foodporn and the menu check out http://www.hellenicrepublic.com.au/

Daytime Drinking is Permitted on a Saturday :)

I always get asked how much coffee and tea I consume. Finally, I have worked out my schedule of caffeine:

• Monday - 1 white mocha with JC in the morning, followed by tea in the afternoon.
• Tuesday to Friday - 1 plunger of coffee using my home-blend (which changes), followed by tea in the afternoon. I currently have seven teas including roses and a fruit rooibos to choose from so I do not get bored.
  
• Saturday & Sunday - as much coffee and hot chocolate as I want :P

This "requirement" subconsciously kicked in on Saturday, when I went to Gasworks Market with Nut. Rhubarb tart? Check. Fresh, buttery-looking croissant? Check (yum). Groceries including pine mushrooms, swiss brown mushrooms, capsicums, watercress, smoked lamb rack from High Mountain Smokehouse and pork chops from The Gypsy Pig? Check. What next? Brunch at South Melbourne - I need my coffee now thanks, what with this ridiculously cold day in an outdoors market.

We attempted to get into St Ali's but the queue for service was sufficiently long that we had to escape with only monetary damage from my buying a small bag of Peruvian coffee beans (I am currently down to 3 kgs of coffee...I think) Alas, the Middle Eastern breakfast and Clover coffee will have to wait until another day. Off we paced to Coventry Street, one of my favourite streets in Melbourne, for its breakfast places, Peter Watson shop, paper specialty shop, Japanese warehouse, cake shop, Chef's Hat warehouse and of course South Melbourne Market at the end of it.

GAS was full as usual, so Cafe Sweethearts delivered on brunch (as usual), and Nut has asked to write about the experience as a first-timer so I will leave it to her. Having said that, I was disappointed with my first coffee of the day there, considering it was a Genovese and this coffee is normally a well-roasted bean with good training attached. In spite of the beautiful layer of crema from the milk, the cafe latte actually tasted burnt and certainly the usual Italian bean-reminiscent aroma was not forthcoming - I went to the counter to ostensibly pay the bill later and checked to see what was wrong for the day. Ah, milk next to the coffee machine instead of being in the fridge. & how much pressure is the barista actually applying to the coffee today? I wondered.

South Melbourne Market was bustling with its dim sim queues, sushi guzzlers, bread buyers and seafood gourmets. The deli section was crowded as always, with sufficient confusion that we had no idea which one was safe to support. Three freshly shucked Pacific oysters per person (turns out the oyster shucker does not eat oysters at all, which is why he is so safe in the job!) and then off to find another coffee. Nut to actually have her first coffee of the day, I to find one that would recompense for my lacklustre first shot of the day.

Sweet Agora Cafe, in almost complete contrast to Cafe Sweethearts, is run by red T-shirted men behind the counter. Specialising in breakfast wraps and coffee, these guys are confident enough to have a video camera aimed at the espresso machine with a direct feed to the TV screen at the front of the cafe. They take a little while with their coffees, but then they have three types of beans on the go for any one day and they never seem to stop taking coffee orders. They run a quiet operation in the middle of the noisy market, with all chat restricted to the work at hand.

We noted that the Coffee of the Day was Nicaraguan (dark roast). Nut commented that this usually is a coffee with chocolate tones. Intrigued, I ordered a macchiato while she ordered a mocha - "the coffee should go well with the added chocolate". Then we sat on the high chairs at the side of the counter, watching the barista at work. Alas, the coffee machine blocked us but the man looked so focused and serious we truly believed he was doing his best to extract perfect 30ml shots of espresso.

Then we noticed something. The man who took our coffee orders was also the milk man in this case i.e. he heats up the milk and finishes off each serving of coffee before it goes out, not the barista. Nut and I start wondering how much you need to pay for two men to do what normally is done by one person. Especially when you are determined to use fridge-cold milk each and every time.

My little red espresso cup of macchiato. Perfect little dollop of milk foam, and the scent of mocha is coming through. Let's not bother with any sugar for this. I inhale the scent, then I sip. Definitely not a burnt coffee here. The right temperature, sliding around my mouth with good "grip" and the right tones for this coffee - the smell and taste of dark South American chocolate with a touch of berry, and this one is roasted to the right strength for me. Aaaaaaah. Unfortunately I really cannot order a third coffee for the day straight away unless I intend to annoy Nut and bounce around everywhere like Tigger.

"So how's your mocha?"
"Uh, tastes like coffee and chocolate."
>LS stares at Nut and wonders if something extra has been added to Nut's mocha<
"Uh, you did order a mocha. Which is a shot of coffee with chocolate added to it, then hot milk." "You better taste this for yourself."
>pause< "This is really chocolatey, yet we know there is a good shot of coffee in this."
"Like I said, coffee and chocolate!"
"Guess that Nicaraguan is a chocolatey coffee all right!"

After Sweet Agora Cafe, we headed off to Chef's Hat and the Japanese warehouse. Finally we headed back to the city, whereby I announced that I was in the mood for a wine this time. We tossed about the options of Movida versus Van Haus, and Van Haus won the toss. Unfortunately it was also the day that Van Haus was under renovations, so off we went to my perpetual back-up wine bar, the City Wine Shop on Spring Street.

"My friend here is looking for a fruity and fresh choice today."
>LS gestures towards Nut<
"Well, most of our selection are made from fruits"
>cheeky grin from bartender<
"You mean something here is NOT made from fruit?!"
>LS feigning shock<

Nut finally decided on a glass of the '07 Rockburn Riesling, while I opted for the '07 Borsao Macabeo. The latter is apparently the most grown white-wine grape in the world but is uncommon in this part of the world. "Interesting" was how the bartender described it when I asked for it.

Sitting under the heater in the weak afternoon sun, I tasted kiwifruit with a touch of lime. Some creaminess and even mild petroleum-like grip on the tongue, but not so much that I would baulk as a riesling fan. The faintest scent of earthy smokiness, almost like that of a Dominican cocoa bean. Quite the right drop for the afternoon, I thought. My senses were really on full alert, considering that I normally just label wines as "Yum", "Good", "Not Bad", "OK" and "Scrumptious" (which means Yeek, Yuck, Aicarumba, Oy Vay, Yeow who let this out of the barrel, and No Way Jose).

Nut seemed to also enjoy her Riesling. We discussed the extent to which those working at wine bars, especially those that serve wines from various regions of the world like the City Wine Shop, have to be trained to be able to give proper sommelier advice to customers.

One thing I like about Melbourne: you can drink pretty much anything you want whenever you want to, especially on a weekend.

LS on drinks alone:

• Cafe Sweethearts was a 2 out of 5 stars experience for me for the day - very uncharacteristic performance for them based on a comparison of experiences and certainly I hope such coffee will not be repeated;
• Sweet Agora gets 4&1/2 out of 5 stars for the ability to get the macchiato just right and extract the full flavour profile of the single origin bean which is quite a feat in this country from my experiences and so we certainly will not argue with the two man behind the machine strategy. The 1/2 star is for the ability to get Nut and me engaged in one of our funniest chats yet;
• City Wine Shop 4 out of 5 stars for, as always, good customer service (despite the smart aleck remark - they even actively offered us an extra chair for our bags of groceries) and good wines.

www.citywineshop.net.au

Mother's Day Brunch without Mother

"Sorry we're full, unless you like to join our 40 dollar-per-head brunch in which case we may be just able to squeeze two people in."

"Booked out, please come again."

Queues. Long long queues. Not even the chance of a take-away coffee. Definitely not the right day to try a new brunch venue, even if the sun was shining beautifully and banishing the air of its autumn coldness.

SY and I looked at each other. Fortunately I had not guaranteed her anything otherwise I would have looked a desperate fool. Especially as we were staring at the two queues snaking out of that signless cafe which served oh-so-wonderful coffee, with its Drip Clover machine presenting opportunities to properly appreciate the essence of single origin coffee beans.

"Think Replete will have any seats for us?

"It IS a little bit out of the way compared to the others..."

I crossed my fingers, remembering the last time I was at Replete Providore (Barkers Road, Hawthorn). I had ended up waiting in a winter 'wind tunnel' (tree-lined side street) for almost half an hour before the counter at the window became available. That shuddering memory was almost instantly wiped out by that of two pretty good Di Bella cafe lattes and the fluffy ricotta hotcakes with just-right homemade lemon curd & sweet fresh strawberries.

"Oh My Gosh. There are seats!" Yes, high fives all round (go ahead, call us dorks)!

We were shown to a table by the window the moment we arrived. Service is certainly better and more friendly compared to the last time I was here. Must be the sunshine.

The special 3-cheese (mozzarella, grana padano and machego) omelette was tempting, and so was the Replete Trifle - a well-laid trifle, with the bright reds & pinks of fruit compote contrasting against white creamy yoghurt with golden muesli sandwiched in between, is a beautiful thing to behold. But no, I was in the mood for bacon (all together now to the tune of THAT McDonalds commercial: "Bacon Bacon Bacon, we know we love our Bacon...") & what better to have bacon with than corn fritters, tomato & avocado salsa, chutney and sour cream?

With the familiarity of a semi-regular customer, SY went for the Replete Vegetarian Breakfast. She must come back often just for the crispy thick finger-shaped hash brown and the homemade baked beans. Or maybe those large juicy-looking field mushrooms and copious amount of spinach. We both asked for bottles of fresh blood orange juice - I love it when they say, "It will take a little while as we are currently making a fresh batch." I asked for a cafe latte, SY stuck with water to balance the natural sour-sweet taste of the blood orange juice.

By the time our blood orange juice came, the cafe was packed. Through the tall oak shelf partition on which sat packs of organic muesli, decadent Replete chocolate fudge brownies and Tea Drop teabags, we spied boys giving flowers to their mothers and grandmothers (though seriously darlings, roses and chrysanthemums do not make a good bouquet), and families treating their ladyfolk to dessert. Through the window, bees were annoying a young group sitting outside the cafe, and every so often dogs and babies in prams would have to wait for their parents to get their doses of takeaway caffeine. The barista never had a chance to put the milk back into the fridge given the frenzy of coffee orders.

Ah, bacon. In Replete's case, the Istra bacon from the Daylesford Macedon region and Replete corn fritter breakfast unfortunately made for quite an awful picture but was still a pleasure to consume. The bacon is not done to a crisp and not even brown but is cooked just right so cutting it up is not an issue. Which is a good thing when you are trying to do the Layered Fork - in this case a piece of bacon and a piece of corn fritter with salsa and chutney and sour cream at one stab of the fork so that you get all the flavours of the dish in your mouth at the same time and you can savour each chew.

Do not attempt to talk during such a chew. Enjoy the moment. Avoid embarrassing spitting and muffled conversation.

The coaster-sized corn fritters here are also lovely, though I must confess I have a slight preference for those at Mart 130 due to the mild crispness lent to the corn fritters at the latter. The salsa, sour cream and chutney (the effect of the curry powder and cumin was pronounced) complemented the corn fritters and bacon here most effectively.

SY was too busy enjoying her vegetarian breakfast to tell me much about it. At the end of it all, we both forgot that we had wanted the ricotta hotcakes for dessert.

"So why don't we come back to Replete more often?"

"Uh, because we still have too many places to try, like all those places that we had to forgo today? Because those ricotta hotcakes are wicked? Because those brownies, lemon slices, chocolate smartie cookies and other desserts on the counter are evil too?"

Only one thing to do after such a meal...

"I need to get a few things before I meet my mother for dinner - let's go to IKEA for a walk," SY suggested.

& so passed a Mother's Day brunch without mother...(I later found out that my mother went to my auntie's house for Mother's Day dinner with both my grandmothers in tow and they had a pretty good time for the day too)

LS: Replete Providore - 4 out of 5 stars. I like my coffees stronger than how Di Bella roasts them though I acknowledge that Di Bella is more suitable than most for milk-based coffees. Great breakfasts, tempting desserts, friendly and relatively efficient service on sunny days, small but cosy atmosphere, good selection of menu staples and daily specials.

http://www.repleteprovidore.com/cafe/

On a cloudy autumn day three girls got together for lunch

On a cloudy autumn day, three girls got together for lunch at St Jude's, Fitzroy. One had gone to QV Market in the morning for just-in barramundi and Rhode Island eggs. The second had gone to Collingwood Children's Farm for basil and fresh almonds ("and the atmosphere - I just wanted to be there!"). The last was energetic from a morning caffeine hit - Vittoria Gold Blend, ground more finely for a stronger dose of espresso in a standard serve - and a parmesan & prosciutto croissant at that little cafe in a hidden corner of Abbotsford Convent devoted to the Geelong Cats footy team (Hawks fans, you have been warned).

Abbotsford Convent

A little cafe in 3th floor of the convent

Lovely Latte

Parmesan&Prosciutto croissant

Spring Bay mussels in white wine, winter vegetarian soup and lamb shoulder pie. Two glasses of 2007 tempranillo from Spain ("not a bad drop"). Jug of tap water to share (bottled water is so passe people, it's all about cutting down on your carbon footprint). The lamb pie had to be returned due to a, uh, shall we call it a "kitchen issue". While the girls waited for the (free) second pie to be served ("much much better with more sauce and crispy pastry- this is definitely worth the wait" was the final verdict), the girls got to talking about food blogs. The breakfast blog, the coffee blog, the dessert blog, all the restaurant blogs around the place. That second serve of salad that had come with the pie got passed around to be dipped into the homemade barbecue sauce (shock horror, radicchio was great with it)

St.Jude's Cellars' menu

Spring mussels in white wine

Winter soup


Lamp shoulder pie

Yet the girls had so much to share with the world (or their friends at the very least). The obsession with wines to the point of travelling routes evolving around vineyards. The
happy and not so happy dining experiences. The outcomes of blending single origin coffee beans at home into an office-friendly plunger blend.

The verdict on St Jude's: a dinner trip would be worthwhile, the day menu having piqued interest and the assortment of wines being wonderfully diverse (if not even more pricey than in most restaurants).

Then the girls parted ways for the weekend.

One went home to continue her research assignment about that dastardly snail that fell into a soda bottle in a milk bar and kick-started a whole new spectrum in common law (proving that dining experiences can change the world).

The second went to Books For Cooks on Gertrude Street so that she could have a first-hand look at the cookbooks she had spied from magazines and newspapers. One can never have too many sources for inspiration in culinary adventures and experiments. Then she went to Monsieur Truffle for an iced chocolate (chocolate with milk and ice cubes - not as luxuriant as Koko Black's iced chocolate, what a pity) while dreaming of owning a business like Books For Cooks.

The last went with the second to check out new books at Books For Cooks, bought cheeses at Simon Johnson's on St David's Street from a mildly over-enthusiastic staff member and bought a croissant with her hot chocolate at Monsieur Truffle. Then she went home, had a scotch fillet with roast vegetables sweet corn and blue cheese sauce, and started up the blog that the three girls had discussed over lunch.

We dedicate this to all we know, who love food and drink, who know eating is more than about nutrition and drinking more than quenching physical thirst, who make pastry from scratch on marble boards and ask farmers about the breed and welfare of their animals.

We promise to bring our honest opinions and reviews, maybe sometimes a joke or photo. Terribly indulgent we know, imagining people will be interested in what we think about places and food and drink. Yet we do think we actually have something to share.

At the very least, once it's on the blog you won't hear it in conversation (too much). Saves lots of people from being bored silly. We think of our friends always :P

*Viva La Gastronomique*