Le Monde, Surry Hills

Last friday I had brunch with Cleony from i eat sweet. We didn't know where to eat but a Sydney Morning Herald article on the best coffee in town, had Le Monde on it. Since we needed to go to the CBD afterwards, we made our way there. She picked me up and we drove to Surry Hills, little did I know that the cafe is actually so close to my flat that it would have been faster if we were walking there. Oh well, now I know where to go for a quick coffee run.

You're not crazy, the letters are the other way around... I took this picture from the reflection in the mirror

2 skim mochas

I really liked the cafe and on Friday morning, not many people were there so we got a table right away. We made it easy for the waitress as we ordered 2 skim mocha and 2 mushrooms sauteed in garlic and lemon with toast and ricotta.

Close up of the mushrooms and garlic lemon sauce

Side view

The mushrooms were perfectly cooked through but it wasn't soggy and it was still firm. Oh and the portion I love the garlic lemon sauce but after a while it tasted a bit too sour. The ricotta was smooth and subtle. I felt healthy... hahaha I don't want to think about the butter there... The coffee was nice too. Its cafes like this that makes me really enjoying Sydney.

Le Monde

83 Foveaux st

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

9211 3568

Brunetti, Carlton (Melbourne)

People watching and drinking coffee is the best way to catch up with an old friend

With 2 weeks away from my first exam, I went on a study break to Melbourne. I thought about this long and hard, pondering if I would have enough time to study, procrastinate and if it's worth the stress. Then I remembered my 2 years stint working where my vacation days were limited to 20 days a year and at the mercy of my boss. That decided it. Hello Melbourne.

Cakes, cakes, cakes and oh, more cakes!

A friend gave me a list of a top 5 must go places for coffee but I only managed to go to this one with a childhood friend. I was blown away when we first enter the shop. Rows of cakes, everywhere my eyes could see! Did I die and go to heaven? Did I go to Wonka's chocolate transformed into cake factory? Thank God I didn't lose my cool and drool.

Our two mochas

I love the expansive space, windows, and choices of cakes in Brunetti. We decided on a couple of mocha while we wait for our lunch to settle and make room for dessert. We sat facing the street to people watch and play a game. The mocha was really nice and balanced. I love it when I don't have to add sugar. I think that is how I judge the baristas' skills - if they can make coffee that is just right where I don't need to add anything. I always take my coffee as is, so if I don't like it, I don't go back.

A nice sweet stuff that I forgot the name of...

An hour and a half later - almost fully caught up with our lives stories and had fun at playing our game, I trawled the cakes display in search for our dessert. Still feeling my lunch up to my neck, but feeling guilty as one of the shop lady already explained every single cake to me, I ordered this canolli like dessert. I apologize I forgot the name! If you show this picture though, I'm sure they can tell you what it is hahaha... It was tiny but good. The custard has some rum in it (love it!), the pastry light, crumbly and savory. And! There was some cherries on it! I love cherries.

The space inside

I really wish they have this in Sydney. I could soooo see myself having regular coffee with my books and people watch when catching a break. Oh we also saw Chelsea from Masterchef when we were people watching. We saw this girl walk by and we were like, why does she look so familiar? 3 seconds later it dawned on us that she was from Masterchef. A quick phone call to my Masterchef fanatic friend revealed that Chelsea is supposedly working in Lygon st, just a stone's throw away.

Brunetti

194-204 Faraday St

Carlon, VIC 3053

Click here for website

Shenkin, Erskineville

Shakshuka by Cafe Shenkin

This past Sunday, I was completely wiped out. Saturday was exhausting: woke up at 5:45am to send my dad to the airport, got back at 7am ish, went to pilates at 8, groceries at 9, then got picked up to go to the Easter Show at 10:20am ish. If you remember, it rained the whole day. Yet, we ended up staying till 6:30pm. So when I woke up on Sunday at 8:30am despite sleeping at 10pm the night before - a total of 10.5 hours. I was still exhausted and hungry.

Mocha and Soy cap

A quick message to a friend scored me a breakfast buddy and a ride to Shenkin cafe in Erskineville - her idea, as I didn't even know where Erskineville was.

I liked the way the cafe was very open, it gave a very welcoming sense. I was also promised great poached eggs - so that held its appeal too. We ended up getting a table at the front. Towards the end, I realized that my chair was actually a pew. That was real cool.

Hot pot of goodness

Though at first I was tempted to order egg Benedict with smoked salmon, I ended up ordering shakshuka with eggplant and haloumi. Apparently shakshuka is a traditional Israeli breakfast dish where egg is poached in rich tomato, paprika and onion sauce base. It came with a couple of warm pita bread too. It was so good, perfect for such a lethargic cloudy morning that screamed for comfort food. It reminded me of my mom's goulash, but different. The eggplant was soft and melted in my mouth. The portion was so big, I ended up taking it home and having the leftover for dinner. And I have been thinking about it since....

Eggs Benedict

My ride who already decided what she wanted the moment she texted me, had the egg Benedicts with bacon. I tried it, it was really good. I love hollandaise sauce' texture and consistency. Next time, I will be having a hard time what to get for sure: shakshuka or egg Benedicts.

Cafe Shenkin

53 Erskineville Rd

Erskinville, NSW 2043

+61 2 9550 5511

Guylian Cafe's Sugar Hit

Grand Forest by Guylian

If you remember from my post last week, the way I've been approaching life these days is to "expect less" so that when things don't turn out the way you wanted it you're not too disappointed and if they turn out better than you expected it, you are nicely surprised. What I forgot to mention is that this is one of those things that are easier said than done.

A closer look

I finally went to Guylian Cafe last night for Sugar Hit. I was really looking forward for the Grand Forest, the specially designed cake for this year's Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF). That was my first mistake, "looking forward" means expectation. Although I have to admit there were many other factors at play that might have distracted me from the actual taste. Long story short, I was rather disappointed as the cake was too sweet for my taste and the whole thing rather fell short of my expectation. The inside was better especially with the grand marnier strawberries and kirsch cherry, as the sourness cuts the sweetness therefore balancing the taste. I am sad to admit that I wasn't able to finish the cake!

The Brown Brothers' "cienna" wine was nice, a little bubbly on the sweet side but not too sweet. It softened my disappointment. I suppose that's what I get from letting my expectation get ahead of me. Although, it could also be the fact that prior to this, I had a dinner thing with my group from a uni course where I had pizza from Pancakes at the Rocks... and I think I ate way too much. If only I could have a do over...

Chicken Tandoori Pizza from Pancakes at the Rocks

I'd still recommend the Guylian Cafe's sugar hit as the cake was quite nice. If you don't have an overly sweet tooth, just try not to eat the chocolates on the plates. Oh before you go, don't eat a heavy meal, get a salad or something light.

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe

91 George St, The Rocks, Sydney

'Sugar Hit' (1-31 October 2010, 9pm-11pm daily, $20)

+61 2 8274 7500

Day 5 of Japan trip: Kushiro, seafood heaven

Morning in Bibaushi

It is time to say goodbye to the lavenders in the heart of Hokkaido and continue our journey east to Kushiro where we would base ourselves to see the famous marimo at Lake Akan and horse ride in Kushiro marshland. We were really sad to leave Bibaushi and its surrounding as we felt so at home at our hostel. Since I woke up real early that day, a combination of jetlag and the fact that the sun rises at 4am in Hokkaido.... It was kinda surreal actually to wake up at 4 am and see it's sunny outside already. These surreal moments are one of the reasons why I love traveling. Anyway since I was awake, I decided to walk around with my camera to absorb moments when the town was waking up.

Various scenes from the Bibaushi train station

Life around the rolling hills of rice paddies in Bibaushi

Signs of spring and summer, the hills were alive with flowers!

We arrived in Kushiro at around 1pm and we were hungry. The city, one of the major hub in the eastern part of Hokkaido was decidedly more close to foreign visitors than the other places that we have been. It was amazing, because I just felt like we were amongst the first people to discover this city. Even if you don't speak Japanese, I truly recommend Kushiro. The people, the climate, its tranquility and the seafood are definitely worth our while. Unlike Sapporo and Furano where the humidity almost killed us (I'd still go back though!), Kushiro was very cool and dry with ocean breeze.

The cute ramen-ya near our hotel

Uni Ikura Donburi set - JPY 600 (~USD6)

Shoyu ramen, Kushiro style - JPY 500

We found this cute little ramen place near our hotel where we ordered ramen for JPY 500 and uni ikura donburi set for JPY 600. Yes!!! No typo there! Really! The total was JPY 1,100. No kidding, totally dirt cheap. The taste? One of the best I've had, SERIOUSLY. We shared the shoyu ramen which had light broth but full of taste. The noodle was just right, not over or under cooked. I finished the soup and I rarely do that. That's a testimony on how good it was. The uni ikura donburi set? The buttery sweetness taste of uni combined with the bursting in your mouth savory salty ikura were a match made in heaven. The sushi rice was still warm which was really nice. I always prefer warm rice than cold. We didn't even need to add soy sauce as it was soooooo fresh. I want to go back!

Unfortunately I cannot give you the shop's name and address as I forgot to get their name card. However, if you wander to Kushiro Palude hotel which was where we stay, if your back is facing the lobby you will be able to see this ramen-ya just one block ahead of you.

Day 4 cont'd: Affogato at Sugiyama Cafe and the Cheese Factory

Welcome to Sugiyama Cafe - Furano

As I was preparing photos for this post, I am quite aghast at how many food we consumed that particular day. To recap from the previous post, so far on the same day we have had: lavender ice cream, lavender calpis jelly, lavender cream puff, various soba and grilled mochi. This post picks up where we left off... after lunch, we had some time to kill before our bus to the wine and cheese factories (yes more food I know!!). So we walked back to the station when we came across this cute cafe. The signs were all in Japanese, but if you walk in, you will be rewarded with great coffee and super cute cafe.

Check out the tablecloth's pattern: coffee cups!!

The menu - Affogato for JPY 400! (+/- US$4.00)

I was so excited to find such a cute, cozy cafe and at the same time felt sad because I only had that time to enjoy it. As soon as we stepped in, we could smell roasted coffee beans wafting in the air. The furniture were so retro but at the same time very cozy as there were lots of wooden furniture and chocolatey color that made the atmosphere felt so warm. The AC was full blast, such a cool refuge from the midday heat outside! I absolutely adored the tablecloth, it has coffee cup pattern! I really wish I can transport this whole cafe here to Sydney, or wherever I happen to live.

Check out the retro chairs and the fan... too cute!

The special blend of coffee drip

Waiting for our order and taking a break from the heat

Affogato - perfect cure from the hit and to ensure that we stay after a morning of eating, eating, oh and eating!

There were two baristas and they were very friendly even though we don't speak the same language. This is what I call hospitality service! Well, my broken Japanese don't really count... Anyway, the lady barista spoke English as she lived in New Zealand before. She has the cutest accent! It was so unusual for me to hear Japanese speaking in a non American accent. Anyhow, she explained to us that they have a special brew see picture below - where it takes about 7-8 hours to drip the coffee and yields only 15 cups of coffee per day. Of course we had to try it! We decided to have the affogato. I am also sure that Ginko chan was happy I got the same as her, this way she didn't have to wait for me to take pictures of her orders! I think she got used to it though ;)

Closer to the bus departure time we head back to the station and waited for it to come. First and stop: cheese factory. We planned on going to the wine factory afterwards but it rained so hard that we decided to head back and enjoy our cozy hostel. Bibaushi and Furano area were so tranquil and peaceful, we felt so sad to leave the next day. But hey, it's always better to leave when you still want to stay than being stuck when you just can't wait to leave. I've been on both places and this is way better.

Furano Cheese: you could tell which one is the one with cuttlefish ink, couldn't you?

Unfortunately the cheese factory was closed on the weekend. However, we still get to taste the their specialty cheese which is black cheese made with cuttle fish ink. It wasn't fishy at all but you could taste the squid ink very subtly, the slight pungent taste cuts through the creaminess that would be too much for me. Ginko chan though, preferred the normal cheese. So really, it all comes down to your taste buds and preference.

The emblem, which is kinda funky as it fused Italian and Japanese elements, how they make the pizza and an angel pizza!

The end product and my Hokkaido Milk Ice cream...

This little guy kept us company while we were having ice cream outside, isn't butterfly a sign of good luck?

Remember to get your tickets here first, then give it to the people on the counter.

Then as if we hadn't had enough to eat for the day I had the Hokkaido milk ice cream and Ginko ordered a slice of pizza. Are we crazy? Yeah, I think we were... But then again, we WERE at a cheese factory so how can we not try the dairy products there?! They were really yummy, definitely worth our stomach getting angry at us. Will I do it again? I'd probably try to space all the eating out on a couple of days!

Sugiyama Coffee

〒076-0025 富良野市日の出町12-1
+81 167 23 5277

Opens 10am ~ 7pm

Click here for map

Day 2 cont'd: Mont Blanc and Morimoto cakes

Mont Blanc!

By the time we got back to Sapporo station, we were wiped out and our feet were crying for mercy. So we decided to hunt for a delicious looking cafe to sit and get some sugar boost. We found a cute delicious looking cafe in Apia, one of the shopping arcade in Sapporo Station.

Ginko chan ordered a roll cake and I being in Japan of course must maximize the opportunity to order Mont Blanc! Mont Blanc is originally Italian meringue based cake that is lavished with pureed chestnut. Japanese, however, perfected the art of any form of chestnut cream cakes. More on this on my Tokyo posts on later days. Anyway, back to this Mont Blanc, it was so good I could cry. So soft and sweet, yet not too sweet. Just perfect. Can someone please open a Japanese pastry and bakery in Sydney???

The cream inside wasn't too sweet at all, I could happily eat 2 back to back.

After that, we went to Daimaru department store to hunt for food for our take out dinner that we would be eating on the train ride to Bibaushi where we would be staying that night. It was food heaven! I wish I hadn't been too wow-ed out and remembered to take pictures, but sorry to say I was really distracted. Don't hate me yet, I did manage to take these pictures on this Hokkaido milk and strawberry daifuku that Ginko chan got for dessert.

Display of the Morimoto cakes on the Daimaru's basement, I regret not eating as much as I could...

Well, do you feel the urge to move to Japan now?

Cravings: once on the lips, forever on the hips moment

Fried pork chop with creamed corn, AUD 9, and hot tea on the backgroun

For the last two weeks, I had been craving for a 'once on the lips, forever on the hips' dish from Ching Yip Cafe in China Town. For the life of me, I can't remember how I found out about this place, I had been going here since 10 years ago, back in the late 90s. It felt like a million years ago. I rediscovered it a few years back after a long absent from Sydney. To my surprise, the restaurant was still the same restaurant as it had 10 years ago! The wait staff still speak broken English, the menu was the same, the decor too stayed the same. It was rather nostalgic and comforting at the same time. So in the spirit of being constant, I ordered, the only thing that I always ordered, fried pork chop with creamed corn.

Like I said, a 'once on the lips, forever on the hips' dish. It taste so good though, the pork chop was soft and savory while the creamed corn soft and sweet. The pile of rice was still mountainous. I didn't finish the rice, but finished everything else. Oh, apparently if you come in the morning, before noon, you get free hot tea! Hmmmm... good stuff. Yeah, I'll regret it this later, but if it's any consolation, winter is here. It's cold outside and another layer of blubber could help with the cold.

Ching Yip Coffee Lounge

2nd Floor Dixon House

413 Sussex St

China Town

+61 2 9281 1591

Open Daily from 9am-8.30pm.

Marmalade Pantry in Jakarta

Marmalade Pantry's signature flower, identical to the ones in Singapore

Yes, you read correctly - "Marmalade Pantry in Jakarta". A few weeks back, a friend invited me for lunch at Marmalade Pantry and I told her that it would be impossible as I was back in Jakarta for good by then. As this was all done through facebook messages, it wasn't until sometime later that I found out that Marmalade Pantry has indeed opened a franchise in Jakarta.

Interior of the Plaza Indonesia branch

Reflections from the mirrors, the framed mirrors added a trendy accent

The front of the restaurant

It was one of days when M, my partner in crime of late, watched a movie and was starved by the end of it but I wasn't. Since she has never been to the ones in Singapore, she decided to give it a try once I raved about it.

Marmalade Pantry was one of my favorite haunts when I was in Singapore. I loved it's homey feel, its abundance of magazines, and its secluded place at Palais Rennaisance at the far end of Orchard Road. Unfortunately, my Singapore sources had told me that they have moved from Palais Rennaisance into Ion where it's super crowded. I wonder if they are able to maintain it's homey feel. I spent many Saturday brunches there with friends or even alone. Alone. Yes, with either a book or my iPod. It was that homey. I was ecstatic when I found out that they have opened here in Jakarta. One less restaurants that I will miss from Singapore for sure.

Crabmeat Linguini (I forgot the exact price but it ranged from Rp55,000-65,000)

The dishes that I recommended for M were: Crabmeat Linguini, Falafel, Steak Sandwich and Crabmeat Caesar Salad. She opted for the linguini. I tasted it just to make sure that it was just as good, and it was! The pasta were cooked just right, not too soft nor too hard. Crab meat was abundant and the red sauce just delicious. Oh, the pine nuts were also present. ;)

My cuppa chamomile tea with honey

If I were hungry at that time, I would have ordered us a Sticky Date Toffee pudding: my favorite dessert of Marmalade Pantry Singapore. The warm sticky date pudding, soft and fluffy with remnants of the blended dates, drenched in warm toffee sauce and topped with a vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm... I didn't know how it tastes here in Jakarta, but I do hope that it's just as good. If any of you tried it, please do let me know.

The Marmalade Pantry

Plaza Indonesia - 1st Floor #E18-19

Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30

Jakarta Pusat

+62 21 315 4374