Spring Break is here!!

One disadvantage of living at the other end of the globe is that the season is never in sync with more than half of the universe. Whilst other countries are experiencing fall, it's spring here down under! :) Spring's my second favourite season after fall. Main reason being the lack of cold weather. As much as I love the Sun, I love the cold a lot more. It makes more sense to be able to layer yourself up as much as possible when you're cold than ripping your skin off when you're ridiculously hot. Though I'm not complaining because I'm currently living in a season when I get to enjoy the best of both worlds :)

House Smoked Salmon, Blood Orange & Avocado

What better way to kickstart my spring break than through a good visit to a lovely brunch spot? My friends & I headed over to The Grain Store for brunch a few days ago. I have been dying to visit this place. I've heard nothing but positive reviews about the food and the ambience and am so glad I finally had the opportunity to do so :) I do love brunch so much because not only do I get to eat delicious food, but it's such a perfect reason and excuse to meet up with friends to catch up.

I have to apologise because the dessert was the highlight of this visit and quite honestly the main reason why I'd go back (this isn't to say that the main course wasn't ridiculously delicious either!). These cookies here were absolutely delicious. They top the scale of what is a perfect chocolate chip cookie.

The cookies at The Grain Store are baked on the spot so they were served to us freshly baked! These are honestly the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had before me at a restaurant. They were soft, chewy, warm and oozing with chocolatey goodness. Dip those bad boys into the milk and what you have a cookie that literally melts in your mouth the moment you put it in. I absolutely love this and recommend everyone try it if you visit!!

The Grain Store

517 Flinders Lane

Melbourne VIC 3000

Overall my rating for the restaurant is 15/10. Firstly, the service was excellent. The staff were so friendly and helpful when taking our orders and asking if everything was alright. They were also attentive to the replacement of the water jug each time it was empty (and highly quick too). I find that some restaurants fail to replace the water jug unless we ask them to. Secondly, the ambience was so romantic. It was decorated so beautifully and the atmosphere felt so classy for a restaurant like that. When we visited there were quite a few office-workers dining in. I guess this is expected considering that it's located in the heart of the business district. Third, you're advised to make a booking prior to your visit (although you are allowed to walk in, but getting a seat would then be up to your luck that day) so this increases the positive experience during your visit. There's no need to queue because you know for sure that a table has been reserved for you. The only minus point for the restaurant would be the price. It's rated two dollar signs on urban spoon, and I would like to say that I paid around AUD$19 for my main course and the cookies cost us AUD$10. Taking the entire experience into consideration, I have to conclude that it was totally worth it. 

Yum yum, I'm hoping to visit again very soon. Would like some of those cookies now...

Ahh I'm so glad spring is here! It's only one week but this break is very much appreciated. I'm hoping to get as much rest as possible this week although I do have a ton of things to revise. I realised that my life is so mundane consisting of nothing other than school that brunch trips are honestly the only things I actually look forward to. Oopsie.

Here is a photo of us enjoying a $2 matcha soft-serve. Have I mentioned my obsession with matcha? Matcha soft-serve for $2? Take my money, I'll come everyday if I can. 

To all my fellow Australian readers, have a happy spring break! :) Always so thankful to be given the opportunity to study and live in this beautiful country :)

Till next time, xx.

Friday Brunchin'

My friends and I had a day off from Uni yesterday, so we decided to head out and spend the day together. It's not very often the three of us are ever simultaneously freed from assignments at the same time, so we seized the opportunity when we found out we were free. 

The restaurant featured in today's post is: 

Duke's Coffee Roasters

169 Chapel St

Windsor VIC 3181

Mocha as usual :)

I can't remember what I ordered unfortunately, but I do know that it was the most delicious plate of greens ever served before me. There was kale, broccoli, middle-eastern seasoning and I added salmon to complete the meal. Needless to say I wiped my plate clean.

I really wish I knew how to recreate this meal at home. I'd be sure to make it everyday. *hungry*

It was a splendid day yesterday although it was slightly chilly. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through Chapel Street and window shopped for the most part. 

I'm glad I had the day off yesterday, I started my weekend back doing work. But I shan't bore you with that. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend & rest ahead! :)

Xx.

Baking Love

One thing I miss the most about home is my kitchen. Fine, it isn't exactly mine (i.e. family kitchen) but I certainly like to call it mine when I'm busy flurrying about doing my stuff :) I'm not complaining about the kitchen here in Oz though, but I'm sure a baker / cook would agree with me that you're not really "in the zone" as you should be when you're in an unfamiliar environment. 

Baking has to be my favourite pastime of all time. I would choose baking over cooking any day. There's a certain satisfaction in seeing and hearing people say they enjoy what you've baked. It's also extremely satisfying once you see your concoction looking good in the oven. Oh and have I mentioned the heavenly smell of your kitchen once you're done? Vanilla essence all over the place. Ahh :)

So... a few months ago I took the opportunity to bake once I was back at home. Eid was also approaching, and given that this would be the first in two years since I've celebrated it at home, I was excited to bake my favourite treats for the family! I should also mention that my parents bought an electric mixer for me as a surprise. It was definitely genuine, but I'd like to think that it was done to get me cracking in the kitchen ;)

Kueh Makmur

The first recipe on my to-do list was Kueh Makmur. This is basically a biscuit with peanut filling on the inside. I found the recipe off Pinterest, and it wouldn't have been possible to complete it within the three hours I took without the help of my cousins. I love this kueh because of the saltiness that comes with it due to the peanut. If done well, the biscuit comes out soft and crunchy and melts instantly once you put it in your mouth. Glad to say that the recipe I followed was amazing because my kueh turned out perfect. Not too sure how much I ended up eating at the end :P

Kek Surabaya

This cake is my all time favourite! I like a lot of cakes, but this one tops it all. I used my grandmother's secret recipe for this one and I'd like to think that it turned out just the way I hoped it would :) I still need to work on my presentation, but I realised that it turned out as such because I cut the cake up before storing it in the fridge for a few hours. It's layered with strawberry jam, but you may choose to layer it with any jam you fancy! The recipe is really versatile in that sense. I'm hoping to try using green tea / earl grey / chocolate in future!! Can't wait to experiment with those :) 

Pineapple Tarts a.k.a Kueh Tart

Finally, the kueh that highlights / welcomes Eid: The classic Pineapple Tart. As biased as this may sound, but I assure you that there is no other Pineapple Tart out there that I have come across that beats those baked by my grandmother. Her tarts are perfection. The pineapple filling is just the right amount of sweet, and complements very well with the biscuit that's just the right amount of salty. The biscuit isn't very thick, and goes very well with the amount of filling placed inside. This treat by far is the hardest to do. It's not something that can be done within one day! The pineapple filling can take up to three hours to make. Again, this would have been impossible to accomplish within the three hours that I took without the help of my dad who patiently placed the filling inside the biscuit for me. 

Ahh I'm salivating just by looking at these pictures :( Most of the treats baked for Eid originate from the Straits / Indonesia (please correct me if I'm wrong), hence the names. These treats are loved across cultures as well and are often seen in Chinese homes during Chinese New Year Celebrations. 

Can't wait to be back in my kitchen!! 

xx.