Le Monde Cafe @ Surry Hills // Review

It's been a while since the last brunch but with the excuse to also see friends again - not sure if more excited for food or friends?! :P

Le Monde is a small cafe space where you and your friends can inhabit a corner by the cushions and talk for ages while the counter bustles with takeaway coffee and croissant orders. It's a nice mix!

It's nice and quiet during a weekday with the only sounds being nearby chatter and the grinding of the coffee. Natural light floods through the windows and along with some indoor lights, create a dim but well lit space for a sunny brunch! 

 

We ordered the Matcha pancakes ($16), Pulled pork ($18) and the Bacon Egg Roll Special ($10).

I'm a sucker for all things matcha so I loved the fluffiness of the pancakes with that slight bitterness of green tea! What totally completed the dish was that coffee expresso syrup. It was definitely one of the most delicious and different pancake flavour combinations I've had! Total winner! I now need this coffee syrup in my life!

 

And for the other dishes (on the Specials chalkboard), the pulled pork was just the right texture and softness but the bread was a little hard and a mission with the cutlery! Surprisingly the bacon and egg roll was pretty good for its price. The waiter took it out and it was so loaded!

Not sure if anything else on the menu will bring me back anytime soon since it doesn't have as many daring fusion choices as most modern cafes. But I still loved the oxymoronic quiet/bustling atmosphere on the two opposite sides of the cafe! They do a pretty good capucinno too!

Three word summary: Cosy, modern, detached
Ambience 4/5
Fare $-$$
Service 4/5
Foodwise 4/5

Have a fab summer
MVPD xx

The Eatery Review + Roaming Byron Bay // Review ~ Adventures

Splendour festival is hard work, especially when you give yourself 3 hours to wake, freshen up (so you don’t look like the zombie you woke up as) and roll up those pesky sleeping bags before getting stuck in traffic back to Byron!

 

A little birdie (a.k.a. local Byron gal) told us to hit up ‘The Eatery’ in our cafe search because apparently ‘Cafe Byron’s’ coffees weren’t on point.

So what a better way to refuel – the place was a cafe + bar + bistro (wow slaying) but we were here for the lunch. Afterwards was the time to explore all the surfy stores, boutiques and arcades peppering Jonson St (and the surrounding streets).

 

The order was a slider plate of smoked salmon, bacon and chorizo ($15) and two Coconut Chia Bowls ($11). I’m not one for sliders but the chorizo one was rather good. I thought it would be punch-to-your-throat spicy but no! The sausage was cut not too thick, the mayo was light and the thick grated carrot was a nice change of texture (a little fresh crunch).

 

For me, chia seeds need something special as they taste quite plane on their own. Sweetened with maple syrup was a bit basic I thought and would have much rather more stewed fruit and the sweet vanilla labneh to do that job. It was also topped with this “Magic dust” as they called it which was a sweet version of dukkah with goji berries. It wasn’t a stand out dish, even the dukkah was kind of lost in the stewed fruit and quickly lost its crunch. I feel that Aboutlife do better chia pudding (I’m sorry).

 

The magic dust also graced the banana smoothie which I think properly tasted like banana unlike other I’ve tried! No sneaky caramel flavour here!

 

 

So this was where we chilled (with our luggage too) to watch Byron locals do their thang listening to a really good singing busker across the road.

 

Sadly one major flaw was the service time (like how fresh can you get with all the elements of our dishes already premade). Even though we got seated and ordered immediately, ours and another fellow splendour table took ages to come out like the cookie monster ate our orders or something! L The staff were really lovely though but we were so hungry we had to inquire after our order. How they didn’t manage to notice two tables sitting around for ages - I don’t know.

 

Let’s not end on this bad note, the place had the atmosphere that I was needing at the time – lazy and quiet with bar tenders working softly away.

Three Word Summary: Relaxing, Lively, Local
Ambience 4/5
Fare $$
Service 2/5
Foodwise 3/5

MVPD

Xoxo

Devon Cafe Review

I don't know about you but when fellow brunchers post and snap about this mysterious 'Aphrodite's Bowl' from Devon Cafe in Surry Hills, something ignites in me - a curiosity (duh) and part that likes 'pretty things'.

100% sure I was eating Happiness in a bowl....

With the havoc of uni exams and assignments forcing you to compromise with quick dodgy mascara, el-DAG attires and cycling between the same three shoes.... the time had come to finally 'feel pretty' hehe. (Not endorsing that this bowl has supernatural powers capable of solving all our issues - I wish)

Disclaimer: The sis had not finished exams yet so was not allowed to celebrate despite it being a 'Government Politics' unit.

So us superior second years went and brunched in style. Devon is one of those cafes that kinda surprise you the way it looks cause all you see from other bloggers and Instagram is table + food + beverages. But we loved the seating at the back - very courtyard garden-y minus actual foliage.

The only non-food picture evidence of actual Devon interior
since we were waay too engrossed with snapshoting our food
(I mean hello, Aphrodite's own bowl was in front of me)!

We ordered two 'Naked Bruschetta' (didn't come with diced tomatoes for all you tomato lovers out there!). But the goats cheese was juuuuust right (I swear cafes always get it right here - never too salty!) and don't we all love roasted beetroots with avo? Also- shout out to the egg (always the egg) and thinly roasted slices of beetroot and radish (yum yum in my tum tum).

While there were other items on the menu - in this episode I was again  'girl on a mission'. In a nutshell (description totally not doing it justice here) it's a rice pudding garnished with rose petals, pistachio and crunchy honeycomb with a dollop of chia jam. I think rose water may come into the equation somewhere but my senses don't tingle as well as Spidey's.

Please excuse the bruschetta at the back looking
like a dark star :P

 The ratio of rice to actually pudding-ness (I'm sorry if I'm politically incorrect) was a little low for my liking if I think of rice pudding past times. But with this said, garnishes on point! They add the right chew and crunch (and at the right time too- magical?) so you can be assured you're not just having bby food. Tops to Devon on their chia jam too, went great with each pudding spoonful! So Aphrodite's Bowl did deliver and now I literally want a little elf or something preparing me this every morning for breakfast in bed as I catch up on the newest GoT.

"Naked Bruschetta" with hiding walnut bread
- Sorry for the dark photo :( 

I don't go to Surry Hills enough but it's always been the best!
We learned the hard way that Devon doesn't get cronuts delivered from its other store during weekdays. So we jumped on the first train to Brewtown and also learnt the hard way (again) that brewnuts go like (literally) 'hot cakes' with this chick before us ordering 'one of each' - what a cruel, cruel world!

Somehow we always end up in Newtown?! Coincidence? I think not! :)

Three Word Summary: Bright, Modern, Cronuts
Ambience 4/5
Fare $$
Service 5/5
Foodwise 4/5


Ciao for now!
MVPD xo

Grounds of Alexandria Date

This is most probably the billionth blog post raving about the Grounds of Alexandria located in Alexandria Sydney on 7A/2 Huntley Street. I’ve even read that this is one of the most instagramed places in Australia so I’ll admit it now -I did do a foodgram and it doesn’t even do justice to how delicious and lovely the dish was!!!

So the love story goes something like this....
Despite the overcast day, my girlfriend and I still made the journey (my first visit) to the Grounds with an empty stomach ready for some feel-good food. We actually had an outfit planned the night before (don’t judge) because 1. Alexandria being in the inner city is full of hipster, stylish people and 2. We were going to head into the city afterwards to check out the new Sephora store and for a little Chrissy shopping!

I know what you’re thinking, cut the talk and show the pictures which I totally agree! So instead of boring you with my attempts at describing how lovely the whole place was, just enjoy the pictures (cause I know we all skip the text for the photos)!
Note: I did refrain from taking too many photos because that was waaay too mainstream there :D

This was the sink for the bathroom, as if
this isn't so country old fashioned I love it!

A little florist on site with displays just
spilling onto the walkway - so lovely!

The courtyard lies beyond with a fountain
where the little kids play

Yes they have a small animal farm and yes
Kevin Bacon is the resident pig :P

Guess who!

There are a few choices for eating at the Grounds, you can choose to dine in the restaurant-style cafe or buy from the little kiosk and enjoy your munchies at the courtyard. Service was so lovely at the restaurant-cafe we ate at (including tres good looking waiters). You get a little buzzer like at the bistro that will buzz when your table (no need to reserve) is ready for you = keep exploring instead of waiting in a queue! Peerfect!

The menu was organised into Breakfast – small and substantial (til 11:30am),Brunch and Lunch (both from 12pm)! They were quite strict (in a kind/reasonable not “you die” kind of way - don’t worry) with the times so sadly one could not order a lunch at 11:30am L

But we did spend a good 10 mins having a long think about what to order because man that was a tough decision! Too many delicious choices!!! We had a look the other tables on the way in to see what dishes looked yummiest – which was all of them!!

My friend's "Petuna Salmon" order for brunch = MEH!!

Oh Lordy - behold the "Healthy Plate"

It definitely packed a punch for the sweet tooth too! I mean check out

that little shot cup of green juice! How do you say no?

Along the main walkway there’s a wagon selling fresh fruits and homemade lemonade in yellow, pink and peachy colours! We also saw a donut wagon but it wasn't in business at the time!

Now let me put my two cents worth here – that Grounds Granola (as it was called) was actually the substance of my wildest dreams. You tip in the mini milk jug and that’s when the party at the taste buds began. It was your ordinary breakfast transformed into a breakfast of the Gods. Despite the name Healthy Plate and the appearance of assorted fruit and the granola – it was definitely filling!


So what are you waiting for, book a brunch/lunch date with your girlies or mum/grandma on your next free day. Boys take the special women of your life (girlfriends, mums and grandmas) to impress! The place is literally a little archaic, rustic world of its own in the midst of the city and my friends have been raving about this place since forever. We used to fantasize the time when we would finally make the visit (how else do you get through boring uni - you think of your food tours of course)!!!


This is just one of those places you hear so much about and need to see for yourself! There's something for everyone!
Go on a little adventure this weekend!

MVPD