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

Hakiki Turkish Ice Creamery @ Enmore // Review

Something about the name makes me think of tropical island flavors but those kind of ice creameries are so yesterday and we were feeling something more exotic and traditional!

Turkish ice cream looks like the 'normal', humble ice cream....until you take a spoon from it! It just keeps dragging out like I doesn't want to be eaten = The Australian Summer ice-cream-melting issue solved! Apparently Turkish ice cream is traditionally eaten with knife (no spooning here!) and fork.

 

1. You don't just go here and get some simpleton caramel flavour (even they're way too good for that).
2. You also don't just go in for one scoop especially when you have your eyes on four different flavours!

Here's our guide on what flavours were our favs:

Baklava: What's better than baklava? Baklava ice cream that's what. We loved the fillo pastry bits - just the way it soaks up some of the ice cream but still gives a chewy change in texture makes me feel so happy and zen!

Rock melon and feta: yes you read this right! Great balanced combination of salty and sweet I don't know how I didn't discover this before! Who even thought of this (next best after Bill Gates clearly)!

Grape molasses & tahini: the halva were amazing little crumbly chunks made from tahini that I just looked forward to throughout this whole flavour.

Caramelized fig and walnut: what is a Turkish bazaar without the sweet, distinct perfume of figs of late summer afternoons?

 

Of course there are many other flavours but we didn't want to hit them all in one go! There needs to be an excuse for a second visit!!

Next time you brunch or dinner in Newtown we highly recommend you stop at the dinner menu and trek it past Gelato Blue (sorry), N2 and Cloud9 as your portal to Turkey awaits you!

10/10 ice cream! You can't really compare it to Messina and Cow and Moon in terms of flavour since they're so different (Hello feta + melon!?)!!

 

Buuut if my taste buds served me right, I think Turkish ice cream is traditionally a little sweeter! Who's complaining?

Our advice: 'go large or go home'

Where you'll find it:
Shop 1, 63-71 Enmore Rd, Newtown

MVPD xoxo

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

The Freakshow @ Canberra // Review

Milkshakes that   Bringin' all the boys to Canberra (yes, it's better than yours).
No doubt you've heard of Pâtissez. Hailing from Canberra, this cafe is only in its early infancy yet is offerings are attracting masses especially for its notorious crew of "Freakshows." The fitting name encompasses a selection of four milk shakes with which some traditional sense of the word 'milkshake' has gone missing or rather been mutated into something much, much, much, much, did I mention much? More. 

And the story goes; 


Thankfully I've managed to resurrect after a forcing myself to finish what I started... and that was a Vanilla Shake. Not gonna lie, or sugar coat it (because gezee literally why would you?) it gave me a cavity just by laying my eyes on it. Whoa son, you are not my garden variety species of milkshake are ya? Ok, so naievely me and my five compatriots had arrived at 8am on the dot because we were petrified by the potential line that would ensue at about 10ish when we left. Another possible reason why was that we had determined early last night that this would be the ultimate hang over cure. Like any other curious establishment (including that of NASA) we embarked on an experiment.


Ok so 8am we arrive. Ready to conquer and tell our grandkids. Pace through our Instagram filters to the optimum effect. Put about an hour and a half on the car ticket (cos we mean business). The waitstaff tells us that their full...... BUT kindly put us on the waiting list, telling us that the wait is usually 45-60 mins long. Not to be discouraged we accept a minor defeat and fall back to the small alleys of the area, finding a niche little Italian restaurant to settle down in. 15 mins in we get a call telling us that our table awaits...... BUT MY POACHED EGGS ON HOMEMADE TOAST WAS YET TO BE ORDERED. (I panicked) But again, the lovely people at Patizezz pulled through and promised to keep our table until we called about 10 mins away.

I chowed my eggs. (much regret)

We return and are seated in the corner of the cafe. (Prime Insta location to capture interior) We order 3 Muddy Pots, 1 Nutella & Salty Pretzel and a French Vanilla (which I asked the lady to make my life decision on my behalf to order for me).

      

About 20 mins later we get agitated, no drinks yet.
Then again this is not your average.

Then they all come out and as the lady distributed the mason jars, the two straws per serving was a sure sign that we had made a mistake ordering one each. Although the novelty of two straws was something I always associated with childhood, this was a code red. (que nervous laughter x 5 friends & x1 waitstaff). Here comes the devolution of sanity.



*******REVIEWS:
Muddy Pot- Brownie and House Made Marshmallow, surprisingly delicate and not too rich drink, I think its the cream and brownie that makes it rich.
French Vanilla- House Made Marshmallow, cream is sweet and flavoursome, the drink is very vanilla-y you can literally see the vanilla pods through out, great and refreshing but you can kind of tire of the flavour after a while.
Nutella & Salty Pretzel- Probably the best one I tried (v. envious of my friend) its like anything salted caramel, a sweetness then a pleasant taste of salt, also you may want to protect your pretzels from your dining associates.

5 mins in:
Everyone has satisfactory cemented their impending experience on Snapchat, Fb, Insta, twitter (?).

10 mins in:
Toppings are attempted

20 mins in:
A Muddy Pot pilgrim starts feeling the heat and opts out. (1/6 complete, absolutely tragic, she will be missed)

30 mins in:
Nutella & Salty Pretzels breaks through the topping and finally starts the sipping

40 mins in:
There was only two left. A Muddy Pot and me (Vanilla)

Second Muddy Pot made a valiant effort (1/2 way), Nutella & Salted Pretzel threw in the towel at about the same time (just 1/2).

50 mins in:
The whole "I'll do ___________ for the next full minute" occurs, obviously a distraction technique.

60 mins in:
Hollow slurping noise throws into sharp relief that one has defied all obstacles to finish. It was not me. Not yet.

65 mins in:
Not to be discouraged, a break through occurs, I've done it. Someone mentions that this was probably as arduous if not more than a final high school exam.

70 mins in:
Two victors servant their triumphs with hearts as heavy as their current body mass. Bliss, euphoria mixes violently with self-loathing and the urge to get on a treadmill.

  

OTHERWISE what a fabulous experience. I imagine I could only say that retrospectively. This no doubt will help the capital's economy. The cafe was buzzing even on the Friday morning we came, the staff were empathetic and efficient. There even was a camera crew there filming the place and obviously putting the bloated walruses outside of the frame (well played). Although we didnt get to try any of the other offerings in the cafe, we picked up a red velvet on the way home for a compatriot that went a little too hard the night before.

Pro-tips:
#1 Its a bit hard to look for but if you spot a crowd, your in the right place.
#2 Bring a mate that does not back wash.  


Pâtissez, 21 Bougainville, Griffin, ACT

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

I’m in love with the Coco .... whip!

Ice cream, gelato, frozen yoghurt move over cause I’m feeling like some soft serve!
I never knew Sandhana’s Kitchen in Enmore served this until a friend was literally fangirling to me about it. The only words I caught were “refined sugar free”, “gluten free” and “topped with superfood caramel slice”. Pretty much all the words I needed to hear before we popped in for our no-refined-sugar hit!  

 

I don’t know about you but the phrase “flavour bomb” pretty much wins me over (whatever it is) and it was so hard to choose which topping to grace our cocowhip! How do you choose between toppings which are organic, raw, vegan and refined sugar free! We got ours twisted with SK cacao and coconut and in typical soft serve fashion began melting before our eyes (and camera lens). Sorry Tim Tams because we opted for the Salted Caramel and Wagon Wheels Sundaes.
You can't go wrong with any choice really! The topping in all its healthy goodness can taste a little strange to begin with but goes so well with the cocowhip (wow the raspberry jam on the wagon wheels sundae)!

Sandhana's sure knows how to make you feel good after eating dessert!
This is dessert done guilt free so what are you waiting for?

MVPD xx






 

Shakin' in up Smoothie Edition

I follow a few too many vegan foodie/fitties on Instagram but I'm not going to lie - these are my people, my tribe....they sure know how to enjoy the most important meal of the day, Brekkie!

As my thumb does the hard work scrolling through the insta feed I'm seeing all these amazing smoothie bowls decked out with all this fruity colour and granola goodness. But I cry when no recipe is attached but hey how hard can a smoothie bowl be?

I thought I would throw my 2 cents worth and give this one a crack and oh it was a cracker alright. I can't imagine anything else for breakfast when there's no milk in the fridge.

It doesn't get any easier than this when Mimi can whip this up to go before heading to uni - that's right no excuses!

I like to keep a container in the freezer of frozen fruits handy, that's how serious I am about this!

One word - Enjoy!
P.S the recipe may not what you read elsewhere but oh wells!

Breakfast Smoothie bowl

1/3 mango, cubed & frozen overnight*
1 peach, sliced & frozen*
2 T water (to help blend if too frozen)
1/2 fresh banana, sliced
Handful granola/clusters

What the heck - add some nuts if you fancy!

* add any choice of fruits, whatever's in season!

1. Take frozen fruit out of freezer and leave out to defrost a bit. Blend when you can stick a fork through it semi-easily (or give it 20 secs in microwave if you're short of time)

2. Blend frozen fruits so it's a frappe consistency (add the extra water if the blender is choking on the big chunks) and transfer to your fav bowl.

 

3. Hard work is done (or until someone else cleans the blender :P)
Top with sliced banana, granola and nuts and enjoy! Just go topping C-RAZY!

It's autumn now and I'm still loving the freeze of the smoothie! I just kick myself every now and then for not discovering this sooner when I used to wake up to 30 degree mornings!!

Ciao for now!

MVPD
Xx