@rusticpearl, @hanahana

Rustic Pearl

Lamb ragu fettuccini w/ olives, spinach & a hint of chilli topped w/ gruyere

It really does look incredibly appetizing as I look back on these photos again, however the pasta was a little bland. It's not to say it wasn't pleasant, but for the price we really could have done a bit better.

rp. b'fast bun ~ Schulz smokehouse bacon loin w/ fried egg, rocket, seeded mustard tomato relish & hollandaise, served in Sonoma French style brioche

This was definitely a bun with a gastro pleasing attitude. The tangy mayo prancing around with the peppered egg, the crunchy tender bacon and rocket was a sure winner to my snack craving belly.

***

Hana Hana

Hana Hana is a cute, decorative eatery that has a whole array of Japanese style noodles downstairs, with delectable desserts upstairs. The udon/sides were pretty good; extremely cheap so definitely a plus, but it's the dessert I want to talk about. The decor upstairs is an immediate pleasure for the eyes, and then you get to feast on small chocolate delights and sip on creamy, smooth coffee. There's a variety of options, such as crepes, ice cream, waffles etc. in different flavours like chocolate, strawberry, banana...and you pretty much get the gist. I love the chocolate waffle as they have small mochi pieces inside, so you get a chewy texture when you bite into it, with the serving of ice cream and cream on the side! Definitely worth a visit as it in no way harms your wallet, and is an enjoyable experience all round.

NEWTOWN

 

Unfortunately we forgot to take a note of the restaurant's name, but it's a small Turkish place really close to the station!

I was excruciatingly hungry at the time of entry to this vibrantly decorated Turkish burger joint. Due to that fact, things were bound to taste more than satisfactory. I chose the chicken burger which was definitely a fail safe option... The soft bun melted into the juicy chicken pieces coated in a healthy amount of sweet chilli. There was a cheeky hint of chilli which accumulated into a kick to my tummy but it was all good nonetheless =D.

I loved this! The bread was very moist and delicious, and the dips were just divine. Hummus is always a winner so that was a given, but the chilli one was amazing. Very chilli indeed, but so worth it for the flavour <3

@phosam

Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken & Vegetables $12

Something about this dish makes me feel so  warm inside afterwards, it doesn’t overwhelm you with flavour but slurping on the juicy sauce with the fat soft noodles..with the crunch of veggies really makes me love it!

The sauce was very tasty for this dish, and because I love noodles in general, the two made a perfect match. Although it doesn't look too big, both dishes were quite generous in size, and we found it difficult to finish them. Definitely a bargain, considering the price and all!

Salt and Pepper Pork Chop $12.80

mMMmm my FAVE dish from this place, the pork is juicy with a crunchy coating filled with spice and zest. It just crumbles in your mouth then melts as you bite in. Extra flakes for the added texture, i do wish to find out what it is (some kind of spice i’m guessing).

This was tasty but I wasn't really a fan. I'm quite lazy when it comes to eating, so don't really like dishes where there are bones I have to be aware of, skins I have to peel, shells I have to crack open, etc., so the fact that there was a chance to bite into a bone in each of these pieces (which I did a couple of times), made me opt for the soft noodles more.

Pho Sam
14 Oxford St, Epping
NSW 2121
Phone: (02) 9869 0499

Trading hours
Open 7 days
11am-9:30pm

Ghost Town

This was from a while back, when the weather was more bearable. It was near the beginning of the year and most of the cafes around Surry Hills were closed :( It took us quite a bit to find any place that was open, so just went in here since we weren't in any situation to be picky, having walked around for ages and ready to eat just about anything!

GARLIC & HERB MARINATED CHICKEN BREAST MEDALLIONS $21; char grilled with a choice of pepper, mushroom sauce or gravy and served with chips & salad or mash & veg

 I quite liked this. The serving was generous and the salad was nice. I chose the mushroom sauce and it went well with the chicken. The only fault would be that, after a while it became quite salty and hard to finish, so Alvina and I did a swap :) Very nice of her~

It was just perfect, it was intriguing because even though it was chicken it tasted like some sort of roast steak quite interesting i say!

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA $22; tomato relish & melted cheese on a crumbed chicken breast with chips & salad or mash & veg

I thought this was a bit better than the medallions, mostly because it was tangy and the tomato flavour added more depth to the meal. Again, it was a huge serving and more than enough to fill us up (and this was our first meal of the day and it was around 3pm so we were beyond starving). I think this place has pretty good food at decent prices, although most pubs usually have $10 steaks etc., but if you’re really hungry you should pay them a visit!

Loved the hearty taste of the soft crumbly chicken with the tangy sauce and crispy chips. Highly recommended when you feel like you are hungry enough to eat a horse. The servings were VERY generous and tasty.

Trinity Bar
505 Crown Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Phone: (02) 9319 6802

Trading hours:
Bistro is open Midday to 9:30pm everyday

Not too sure about the times for the bar

Melbourne Final Day - 10/11/10

A large box of fries with Mexican sauce

You need to pay 75c extra for sauce, which seems a bit unreasonable as plain fries would have no taste. Also, it’s really overrated, as it doesn’t match up to the hype about it.

If you want to try them, you can find a Lord of the Fries on Elizabeth St in the CBD, near Flinders St Station.

Bye Bye Melbourne =(

Melbourne Day One - 07/11/10





Here we are on a 6.40am flight to Melbourne!





Started off with Macca’s breakfast near our hotel





Then we went exploring and came across these alleyways with nice cafes and shops



 At a tram stop on Collins St, on our way to St Kilda. The day was pretty cold and windy.



  One of the stores we went into. It had a lot of interesting ethnic things.


 Another store we came across after getting off at the wrong tram stop. It sold vintage and retro clothing.

 Back to the city, on Bourke St, which seems like the equivalent to Pitt St in Sydney, we saw this man acting like a statue.



 The entrance to The Pancake Parlour where we had lunch

Mexican Chicken Crepes $24.80; Sauteed chicken with mild chilli and classic Mexican ingredients rolled in crepes. Served with shredded lettuce and our home style taco sauce, “hot” jalapeno peppers and sour cream on the side.

This was nice but nothing extraordinary. The price is a bit high for the size of the meal, and is similar to the Mexican crepe from Pancakes on the Rocks in Sydney, however PONR tastes slightly better.

Tabriz $19.90; Delicate French crepes rolled around ground beef cooked in red wine with herbs, bacons, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and other delights served with a side salad.

The Tabriz is supposedly world famous, yet did not quite meet that standard. It was still nice, but a bit salty.

Lemonade $3.90; and freshly squeezed Orange Juice $4.90

Alice In Wonderland $14.20; Two buttermilk pancakes topped with ice-cream, lashings of home-made hot chocolate fudge sprinkled with hundreds and thousands.

Not suprisingly pancakes must be their specialty, as these saved the meal. They were refreshing and a nice finish to the crepes.

To pay them a visit, the one we went to:
The Pancake Parlour Restaurant
Centrepoint Arcade,
Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne.
(Down the escalators, between
Sportsgirl & Jetty Surf)
Phone: (03) 9654 1893

Trading hours:
Open 7am every day
Sunday - Thursday til 10pm
Friday & Saturday til midnight



 After lunch, we wandered around some more. Inside Alannah Hill.



 There are a lot of graffiti on the walls around Melbourne



Back on Bourke St

Getting ready in the hotel



 MARY POPPINS!! Highly highly recommended! It was sweet, funny, touching, and just puts you in a feel good mood for the rest of the night~

After the musical. Melbourne has yellow cabs!

This seemed to be the Chinatown of Melbourne, or maybe just Asiatown.

One of the HOTTEST venues in Aus according to the bouncer ;p

It had about six levels, with clothing, resturant, cafe, and the best of all - the rooftop bar!



 I guess the neverending stairs were worth the view !




 These pictures cannot justify just HOW NICE it is up there but highly recommended. It had a nice tahiti like feel with neon lights and chill out music!

Oh, the place is called Cookie by the way. We had it down for one of the places to visit yet came across it randomly rather than setting out to find it, so can’t really remember the address. But definitely worth a visit!