Joy a cup cake review

According to sex in the city (and I do bace a lot of my life on that show) you only get two great loves in your life. If this is true, I'm destined to a life alone. One of my biggest flaws as a person (or you can call it a strength) is that I fall in love.........a lot. All the time. But if I'm honest with myself, I have only really been properly in love twice. Just to clarify, we are talking about men here, not pastries, because the amount of times I have fallen in love with a recipe can not be counted.

Carrie never really got over Big (we're back on sex in the city...keep up) and sometimes I wonder if we ever really get over the people we have once loved. You can move towns, you can move states, change your life, change your hair, change everything about yourself.....but it still doesn't mean you will move on.

I have been baking away my little heart, waiting, waiting, waiting for things to change, but some days, your heart just hurts. This week at a bar, I put myself in a cab and headed home early, afraid of being 'that annoying crying drunk girl' (everyone HATES that girl.) There is no cure for this sadness, but good friends help. Good friends and cake.

One of my oldest friends and I decided to check out a new cake shop today. This helped amazingly, and the place was just lovely.

Melbourne seems to be popping up with cup cake shops all over the place now. This one was called Joy, and its on south bank. The place is cute and chic (it can be hard to get the perfect combination of the two.......if you go too cutesy it can be tacky, too chic and it can look cold.) There is one main table which is communal. I kind of loved this and hated this at the same time. It was sort of festive in that you felt like you were at a big feast, but it made the place seem a bit empty, and you had to sit next to strangers if the place was full.

All the packaging was cute. I liked that they use paper bags instead of plastic.
But down to the important part......the cake. Ok lets get somethings out there first. 1. I work at a cup cake shop, so I'm pretty loyal to there cakes. 2. I'm a pastry student, and can be a little judgmental of cakes. 3. I love dense cakes, not light ones.

The cakes were yummy though, they were super light (and if thats what you like it would be perfect.) There were lots of interesting flavour combinations ranging from classic red velvet cake, to salted caramel, to toffy apple. I loved the sounds of the flavours but felt that they weren't very pronounced in the cakes themselves. I had the salted caramel and chocolate cake, and i really felt that it was more chocolaty than anything else.

The place was cute, and lovely and sweet, and all the cakes are made on sight........but I wouldn't make it my regular treat. If I'm going to eat a cake I really really want those calories to be worth while. This is not to say I don't eat a lot of cake........its just that I eat a lot of really really good cake.

Monk Bodhi Dharma

Unfortunately I have been terribly lax on my restaurant reviewing. All the other foodie bloggers out there are way ahead of my game with daily posts and weekly reviews...but I, woeful as I have been mischievously indulgent, worrying over broken hearts and school assignments!

On the subject of indulgent however (see that lovely link) I did head on down to a little cafe called Monk Bodhi Dharma last week and was pleasantly surprised. It's tucked away nicely in a little alley to give you the impression that no one knows about it. But do not be deceived! It's packed with the coolest most indie fashionsitas in their chic yet creative clothing. Despite the fact that this sort get on my nerves a little bit (only because I know that I will NEVER be as 'cool' as them) they do have very good taste in food.

To put it simply...it was amazing. Very rarely do I go to a place for something to eat and leave thinking 'well that was a very well done meal!" Usually I spend the next week compiling lists of ways they could have perfected their dishes. This time though I had no need for lists (and what a relief this was.) The food was great. The tea was amazing (They make their own chai from scratch and dry roast all the spices to bring out the flavour...genius!)

I didn't have a coffee because I was so caught up on the amazing chai, but I have heard good things. The menu is super creative and has a lot of vegetarian and vegan options (which was a relief because I could eat there with my sister.)

It's really just a great place. Super funky...and the staff are gorgeous (I would happily marry any of the boys who work there.) So I give it a 10 out of 10. Check it out, but go early if you want a seat!

Bellezain

This weekend I took a little trip down to Port Melbourne to check out Bellezain, with a couple of friends. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the place was the decor. The place is stunningly beautiful. It looks over the boardwalk and ocean, and the both the outdoor deck and inside eating areas are lovely. I haven't walked into a place in a while where I just though "Wow I LOVE what they have done to this place!" If I could turn it into my living room I would. The walls are covered in amazing wall paper and there are flowers everywhere. Its my style of place, so I was pretty excited to have a peek at the menu and try out the food.

In the last few months the place has been taken over by a gay couple who have a background in wine, the corporate world, and hospitality. So they really know a bit about everything. I had a chat to both of them early on in the night and although they looked tired (opening a restaurant is no picnic ladies and gentlemen) they were still very excited about what they are doing. Its lovely to see owners who a passionate about their business, and so involved with the place.

One of the ladies has spent several years studying wine (yes there is a course for wine lovers who want to study it for years and years), so the wine list is wonderful. I just asked them to send me over their favourites all night, and everything was great.

To be honest I was worried to try the food because I like the place so much I didn't want to be let down. Luckily it was really nice. I had a duck and mushroom risotto, which for some reason so many chefs have trouble pulling off well. It was perfectly cooked (no hard rice and no yucky slushy rice.) and I enjoyed it a lot. They also have a great range of pizza's (I was eyeing off one with figs on it that my friend was eating.)

All in all I liked the place. It was a good night out and I'd defiantly recommend it.

Sette bello

Today I visited my new favourite area in Melbourne called Hardware lane. The place is so very european and you feel like your in Italy not australia as you walk the brick streets and peek in at all the lovely cafes. At night time bands play, and everyone sits out on the footpath eating yummy food and drinking wine.

As today was good friday a friend and I decided to have a long lunch at one of the few places open (I completely forgot everything shut for good friday) called Settebello. I had been meaning to try out the place for ages, as the staff are always ridiculously cute. Last time I walk past one of the waters had a little flirt with me (ok ok they get paid to do it) so I promised myself that I'd have to check it out next time I was in the area. Its right on the corner of the road, and its super cozy. At night time they mainly do tapas, but during the day they have a range of freshly made pizzas, quiches, and salads.

We both had the mushroom and olive quiche with a roasted pumpkin and pine nut salad. The pastry was really yummy and homemade, which I love. I have so much more respect for a place that makes its own pastry, as opposed to buying it in, in bulk. The filling was yummy, but maybe lacking quality. I was suspicious of both the olives and the mushrooms, and thought that they may have been.....from a jar!! I feel that quiche is like a stage, you have your eggs and your pastry, but the filling has to be the show. You don't want to take shortcuts on it, because its the main attraction. So they lost a few points for me there.

There is only a really small wine list, which I sometimes like (if all the wines are good) because it make picking easier. I had a shiraz and it was so lovely, that I had to order a second glass.

For desert we had macaroons, which were divine! Unfortunately I don't think they made them on the premises, but don't quote me on this because I could be wrong. I had raspberry and white chocolate flavour, and my friend had a chocolate one. We were both very pleased! Its such a lovely food trend, and I'm so glad Australia has jumped on board with it along with the rest of Europe. Its such a treat to see little cafes serving them, and I feel they add a pit of class to an establishment.

I liked the place as it was cozy, and perfect for a long lunch on a cold winters day. It didn't have a huge amount of choice, but this was part of the charm. I don't feel you need a huge menu if you do a few things well. It was rustic which I love, but I'd like to see a little bit more quality in the food. The staff were friendly, and it was reasonably cheap. So it's perfect for what we were looking for. I'd give it a 3 our of 5.

Hooked.....a restaurant review.

Today I checked out Hooked in Brunswick st. with a good friend of mine. I've don't mind the odd meal of fish and chips and I'm always interested in places that do a bit of a twist on classic meals. The place is really cute, and set up like a vintage beach shack on the inside and has a courtyard out the back. I was pretty keen to try the food as it has been voted 'Healthiest Fish and chip shop' and supposedly has 'the best chips in Melbourne' (by 'The Age' newspaper.) Gourmet traveler also recently reviewed the place....and generally speaking, if its good enough for them its good enough for me.

Everyone eating in the shop seemed to be the normal Brunswick st. crowd (dredlocked, tatooted and laden in vintage attire.) But something I have learnt since moving to Melbourne is, you cant judge a place by is customers. I've eaten some very average meals at places where there are lines out the door.

This however was genuinely quite nice. It was nothing at all like your normal fish and chip shop. All the seafood looked really fresh, and the chips are hand cut. Instead of the normal tomato sauce that one usually puts on their chips you can choose between sweet chilli, salsa Verde, or a nice house made aioli. You can order beer or wine with your meal (this excites me), and they had a really nice range of ciders and organic juices.

I ordered the calamari with house cut chips. To be honest it was a little bit chewy (why oh why do people struggle so much with cooking calamari???) but still quite nice. The chips were really yummy and quite good quality, which was nice. I think 'The Age' was a wee bit generous in saying that they are the best chips in Melbourne. I'm going to go out on a limb here (I'm blushing as I say this because its probably very wrong to support a chain food store over an independent one) and say I think 'Grilled' chip are better.

The whole experience was nice but it was missing one thing. What could it be? I racked my brain for the answer, and it finally came to me. The beach! The place is missing a beach. Growing up on the coast fish and chips just don't feel the same on a roadside. It would have been perfect to eat my meal and look out at the sea after a long swim and sun bake. All the same I like the place, although I'm not sure if I'm necessarily hooked (like the pun? Sorry its horrible I know but I just couldn't help myself.)

Bagelicious

Today was one of my first proper days off in a very long time. So I decided to give myself a 'me day', where I could do whatever I wanted (mainly nothing... though with me being some sort of crazy over-achiever, I'd probably spend the day cooking, walking and researching).

I decided to start the day by treating myself and going out to breakfast. A friend of mine recommended a place in town called Bagelicious so I set out to have a look.

As you probably have noticed by now, bagels are the new 'food trend' sweeping the industry. Every single little cafe has now added bagels to their menu's and a few bagel cafes (they just sell bagels) have popped up all over the city. I've read a couple of articles (in the foodie section of the newspaper) about people hating this new trend as they are only "boiled bread and nothing that special".

But this, I say, is not true! I'm totally on board and have whole-heartedly embraced the bagel with its many flavours and toppings. I understand that it may be very American but its also very yummy.

So I was quite excited when I walked into Bagelicious to find such a huge variety of well... bagels. The process is a little confusing the first time, as you order your coffee at one counter, then head to another counter to pick your bagel flavour (and there are so many), next you have to decided on your toppings, and then you are sent back to the counter where you ordered the coffee with a ticket and pay there. Its really hard to decided what to have as there are over ten different flavoured bagels to pick from, both sweet and savoury, and so many different topping options. You can just pick one from the menu or invent one yourself. The toppings include pestos, different flavoured cream cheeses, meats, salads, eggs, and roasted vegetables. I had a sundered tomato bagel filled with pesto, chicken, bacon, cheese and roasted capsicum.

My meal was quite yummy but incredibly greasy! I feel I would have appreciated it a lot more if I was hung over, and wanting to soak up some oily goodness. I think it may have been my own fault though for ordering something with both chicken and bacon on it (I was flustered by all the choices and the ridiculously good looking boys that work there. What do you order that says, "Hi, I'm new in town! I'm single and lovely!".... Uh, not bacon and chicken! But we live and learn). They gave me a little plate of pickles to cut through all the oil, and I must admit I found this quite exciting and ate them all. They do have the novelty thing down that's for sure.

The coffee used is 'Five Seed', which I must admit isn't my favourite. It wasn't incredibly well made either (some people really struggle with making a good soy latte.) But it was drinkable.

I enjoyed the experience, mainly for the novelty. I think I'll defiantly go back to try out a few different flavours before I form a set opinion on the place. There are a few other bagel cafes in the city I'd like to try out as well. So I might do that and then compare. I'll keep you updated on my search for the perfect bagel.

Vons

Just recently when my parents came to stay, my mum and I decided to have a little girls night out. We went down Hardware Lane in search of a place to eat and everywhere was packed. It can be quite hectic there at night with all the waiters swooping on you and trying to get you inside for a meal. There were so many old sleazy Italian men hitting on my mum in an attempt to convince us to eat there. I was not at all impressed with this!

Vons was the first place along the street that didn't harass us or plead with us to come in. (It makes me wonder about the quality of the food when the waiter is so desperate to get you inside... shouldn't it just speak for itself?). The setting was quite nice as we were outside and next to one of the bands. (Live music and food go together so nicely!)

The staff were quite disorganised and tried to take our order several times after we had ordered, but they were also friendly and fun. I watched one of the girls give the waitress across the road ballroom dancing lessons while there was a lull. It was very cute.

We ordered the paella to share and it was huge! It was probably enough for three people instead of two. I was a little sceptical of ordering this dish because it is something that either can be done really well or really badly. It was quite good though and I really enjoyed it. All the vegetables were cooked just right and the seafood was lovely. I'm not going to say it was the best meal I ever had, or it was amazingly good, but I did really enjoy it. All the food on the menu looked tasty and honest. (I hope you know what I mean by honest food... Food that is hearty and good.)

For desert we had the creme brulee, which was also quite nice. It was served with a strawberry cumquat which complimented it very nicely. I love having this desert (and making it, for that matter) because its just so pretty. The contrast between the smooth and the crunchy is lovely and if done well it just melts in your mouth.

It was a really nice night out. The sort of place to go with a few girls, or on a little date, when you want to eat something nice but can't be bothered with all that fine dining fiasco. I wouldn't make it my favourite place, but would probably go back again.

If McDonald's was hell, Laurent would be Heaven.

This weekend I took a little trip to one of my favourite places in the world... Laurent. I really can't rave about this place enough. If McDonnell's was hell this place would be heaven. It personifies nearly everything I love about food and hospitality. So much care is put into the food and everything tastes amazing. The presentation is amazing and every time I go there I feel like I have stepped into Europe.

For a while when I was living in Camberwell, I made this place my second home. It's the perfect spot to sit on a Sunday morning, read the paper, drink some coffee, and eat pastries (It's also right across the road from boarders and an amazing second hand market). They sell cakes, macaroons, bread, pastries, ice cream and coffee. Everything is divine but you simply must must try the chocolate almond croissants. They are the best I have ever had (and believe me, I have eaten a lot of croissants.)

The food is a little bit expensive, but you wont even think about the prices when you are eating the food. Everything is baked fresh in the mornings and even the ice cream is house made.

I actually went here on my first real date many years ago when I first moved to Melbourne. We ate roasted vegetable baguettes and drank green tea. It was quite romantic. My love of the place outlasted my love of the boy by far, and I've never stopped going back. Whenever life gets a little too much, I make a trip there and just sit for hours. By the time I've left, things usually feel much better.

All I can really say is... you must go there yourself.

The Vegie Bar

Last night I took a little trip down to Brunswick street to visit one of my favourites.....The Vegie Bar. I have so many fond memories of the place, so I was quite excited to go. I've had some wonderful and terrible dates at this place. This however is besides the point.

The whole place looks like a converted barn and its covered in posters and information about gigs and events. Its a really indie/arty scene and the people watching is great. The menu is perfect if your vegan as no meat is served and they also cater for people with gluten senstitivites.

I had the gado gado which was nice (if you like vegetables... which I do.) The peanut sauce was really yummy and the vegetables were all cooked well. I went with my mum and dad and they ate a pizza and a salad, which were average.

The drinks list is great as you can choose from a range of organic wines or juices. I had a merlot that was made just out of melbourne and it was delicious.

I really like the place, and I want to love it... but I just cant. As nice as the food is, its really lacking something. Its a bit like the scene there... very cool, but lacking a bit of substance. Considering the prices you do really get what you pay for as the serves are huge and the meals are cheap. It's good but not great. I recommend a visit there, just because its fun; but don't expect an amazing vegetarian meal. The place is continually packed, and I get the feeling that the chefs are just too busy to put much love into the food.