A few things to do in Melbourne

Sunday morning early my daughter-in-law and I zipped into Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne city to check out the vintage clothes stalls. We both ended up with goodies to come home with. I love to walk into the food hall at the markets, I could get lost there for the morning. There cheese shops, bread shops, meat shops, fruit shops, and variations of all those. The goods are amazing and well presented. You get to taste test and the shop owners are generally passionate foodies. I particularly liked the coffee we got from the little Italian coffee van. The Italian food looked amazing though I couldn't eat the beautiful pastries (rats!), my hands were full and I didn't grab a photo or the name of the van but it was a stand out because it looked clean, fresh, and the offerings were different.

After lunch we wandered down to the Morondah Community Fair and enjoyed watching the smallest boy's delight at driving a fire engine, jumping on the jumpy castles and dancing with the Tickety Toc crew on main stage (yes I was the only adult in the front row but I was SUPPORTING my grandson!!).  There were an amazing amount of free activities so we had a very happy boy that afternoon.

 We headed out for a coffee the next morning and went straight to Bekendales.  This is a cafe we love to head to when we are in Croyden.  Dale is a real character; welcoming and warm, loves his food and coffee, and he serves the normal breakfast fare with nice treats in the cabinet. The cafe is small and cosy on a cold day, air-conditioned on a hot one, and there are outdoor seats for when the weather is lovely....

Monday saw us alone with Mr I-Must-Have-2-Marshmellows (3.5years old). We went up Mt Dandenong which is another favourite thing to do. Main destination was Sassafras for breakfast and as much shopping as the 3.5 yr old would allow (not much apart from in Geppettos Workshop).  The  Cafe de Beaumarchais beckoned us in on this cool morning.  I had held off having breakfast and thought I would get something healthy to eat. NOT! One look at the offerings and I just had to have something so NOT good.  I settled on a white chocolate, raspberry, lemon curd cheesecake.  It was decadent to say the least. but I washed it down with a short macchiato which cut through the sweetness. Of course someone lactose intolerant should take a little more care over their choice of breakfast, the consequence was that I suffered a little but it was a lovely thing to eat at the time. Husband ate a fritatta and Grandson had banana bread which went down a treat and was enjoyed all morning as the left overs were wrapped, taken with us and munched in the car. This cafe is a little bit of Paris, the pastries are beautiful to look at in an old glass fronted case, the furniture has a distinctly French look and the atmosphere is dark and moody which reminds me of that night we had in Paris.....

Australia Day Ride

Australia Day dawned with the weather predicted to provide (1) rain and (2) heat, so we decided to jump on the motorbike and head to the hills early in the morning to avoid both.  While the sky was overcast and threatening rain, we managed to be out for 3 hours and not get wet or too hot. We headed to Dayboro first, such a pretty spot. Usually we stop at the Dayboro Deli Country Kitchen for a bite to eat but we were too early. I've got to do a plug for this cafe because we have always had great food here. We have been for breakfast several times and for dinner (special set menu) on St Patrick's Day; that meal in particular was fabulous with the green theme prevalent in food and service! I have also been there on a breakfast outing with Nat and Carol (the bird scarer). Thanks go to our friends Michael & Pip for loaning us Carol who loved the convertible, with the wind blowing over her feathers. The Dayboro Deli staff even brought Carol a "birdie chino" to enjoy while we had our breakfast - very accommodating I thought! Here's a few pics of Carol, Nat and our adventure.
Anyway, I digress. No Dayboro Deli for us this time so we headed the bike towards Samford and enjoyed being one of only a few vehicles/ cyclists on the road which was really surprising since it was a holiday - we must have been early!!  From Samford we headed up the hill to Mt Glorious.  This hill is massive and full of switch back turns which I hate as a pillion passenger (my thrill is speed) but it is a beautiful drive climbing rapidly up through the trees. Once you reach the, turn right and in no time you arrive at the Maiala Rainforest Teahouse at Mt Glorious.  This stop is made for cyclists and bikers. There is covered seating stretching out in front of the long low structure which fronts straight onto the road allowing great views of cycles and motorbikes passing, stopped and leaving. On this particular morning there was plenty of action with one side of the frontage filled with cyclists and the other with motorbikers.  If you want to see serious $$$ all lined up then this is the spot to go. You don't come to Maiala for the food experience, this stop is a fueling station for the next part of the ride however, the coffee surpassed expectations and the scrambled eggs on toast were well done if plain.

We would have expected a surcharge on this holiday weekend but instead there was a big sign at the door saying no surcharge for the holiday but all food would be served on plastic plates and we would have to come and pick up our order when our number was called.  I was perfectly happy with that arrangement and I doubt that anyone else there would have cared either.

Once we had finished breakfast we headed back home along the top of the mountain range, through Mt Nebo and down through The Gap. The view across the valley from the top of the range is breathtaking and if you have time it is well worth stopping for a while at Jolly's Lookout on Mt Nebo Road. Even though we haven't stopped there for ages, the Dr Red Vineyard, is worth having a look at. The views from the cellar door out of the valley are amazing and the wine is ok too.

This is a nice easy ride (not too bum numbing) though care needs to be taken on these roads which are narrow and shared with cyclists and cars, there is not always enough room for everyone plus the corners require a high care factor.  Coming home we saw someone gathering bits after a spill from his bike, thankfully he was ok.  It's always disappointing to drop down out of the cool of the mountain and back into the heat of the city but the pleasure of the ride usually outweighs the disappointment of the heat.

A night to remember....

Don't you just love dining with good friends? We had the opportunity late last year to trial dinner at at Cinco on Cleveland Road, Camp Hill with some very special friends who were visiting.It may be in the midst of suburbia but this restaurant can hold it's own against the city restaurants.  We were not unhappy!

One of our party of 4, Reece, is a chef.  I can vouch for his cooking skills because he and his family lived with us a long time ago and we all looked forward to the nights he was on dinner! For me it was a good time to not have to think about the cooking but I also loved watching him at work. Now, whenever I can, which is rarely because we don't live close anymore, I love nothing better than to jump in and stir, slice or be his lackey to make a feast for friends and family.

There is always a little pressure when you take a chef out to make sure that what is served up will thrill his tastebuds and meet his stylistic standards! Cinco thankfully satisfied all four of us.  We all enjoyed each mouthful of our dinner, the service was exceptional with a waiter who knew the menu inside out - we do all like to ask questions about what we are eating, and a good wine menu.

I hadn't done any research into this restaurant, it had been a recommendation and I had been gifted a voucher to dine here so I feel like a winner. I had thought this was an Italian restaurant (after all there is a pizzeria next door - Piccolo Pizza) however I think it is best described as Australian fusion.  All the best fresh local ingredients with global ideas.

The menu has changed a little since we went and I can't remember the exact dishes we had but the pictures all still remind me of a lovely evening dining out.

Mickle Pickle

I've driven past Mickle Pickle numerous times but I'm usually in the far lane and it's too difficult to cross over.  However this time I set out to stop so I was in the correct lane and pulled into the roomy carpark, necessary since this place fronts Wynnum Road at Tingalpa and not very often found.
I arrived early after my morning walk at the seaside so they were just getting ready to start up when I rocked up.  They took my order and explained they'd be a few minutes which was fine by me. This place is comfortable.  I was able to spread out the paper and read, the fake grass adds a touch of mirth to the grimness of Wynnum Road and the people were just, well, nice! Oh yes, and the coffee was worth waiting for.  If I lived in Tingalpa this would definitely be my local. I didn't eat this time around but this could be a good brekky spot after a weekend walk.

Chop Chop Chang's Anniversary Celebration

After a Friday night catch up drink, hungry tums sent us in search of a tasty eatery.  On the recommendation of "He-who-is-a-city-dweller" (oops I had accidentally written sweller and that could be correct but I'll change it in case he reads this...) we headed to Chop Chop Changs for something tasty, not too pricey and that would not be so full we couldn't get a seat. That's not to say it wasn't busy, but it is a big spacious restaurant.
Chop Chop Chang was the first monkey sent into space, this we found out from Google.  He lifted off on January 31, 1961, so we were in fact eating an anniversary dinner to commemorate his marvellous achievement.  His picture adorns the wall but there was no monkey business when we were there. The wait staff were helpful, explaining how the menu worked, the sizes of the various options and even how slurpy the meal might be.
As we'd had drinks prior to eating we abstained but there was a good looking bar along one side of the restaurant which I am sure would have met any requirements. We started off with a small bowl of Tom Yum Cashews, sweet, spicy and sticky, and a Satay Dipping plate which was great too. The rest of the meal came quickly, Seared Kingfish Tataki, Spicy Beef, Wok Tossed Prawns and Gai Lan.  The Spicy Beef was thinly sliced, and had an after kick to it but as it was mixed in an Asian salad of mint and coriander the freshness of flavours balanced that out. The Wok Tossed Prawns were disappointing because there were only had 6 prawns in the dish and shared between 3 that just wasn't enough however, the flavour of the dish was rich and lovely.  The stand out for me was the Kingfish. Beautifully presented, thinly sliced and so succulent. Of course we had ordered too much and didn't manage to quite finish everything. Needless to say we left satisfied.
We loved the lighting and the communal seating; long tables and stools.  This suited our mood really well, with chatting throughout that competed with the rest of the room. This is a place to go when you want and affordable, fun, great tasting meal that doesn't ruin the bank balance.  

We were introducing Deb to the West End and I think she was suitably with impressed with the food at Chop Chop Chang's, the vibe, tastes and location just suited our night perfectly. After dinner we wandered down to South Brisbane, passing through the night markets on our way, which I'd also never been too.  There are plenty of reasons to head back to West End another night.  This is a place to return to and I suspect the more people you take with you the better it gets!!

You're safe in my hands!

This morning I needed to have a blood test so I duly fasted (well missing breakfast can't really be called fasting but I did it) and presented myself bright and early so as to miss the multitudes.  As I was the first person on site I was whisked immediately into the blood drawing room (eek) and asked to sit while the nurse gathered the required needle, vials and pieces of paper.  As she did so another nurse came in and told my nurse that she was obvioiusly confused as she had dated a piece of paper with a July date instead of today's date! July I thought, what the? How confused can the woman be?  Should I be letting her take my blood?  She just laughed and said she was totally out of her head this morning. This was so comforting for me as I sat there with veins plumped and ready to give blood.  NOT. Totally out of her head!!! Really, wasn't this woman supposed to be calming me down and taking a perfect sample of my blood? I had been calm when I walked into the room, now I wasn't so sure. No time to race out the door though because she had reached out, grabbed my arm and stuck the needle in before I could query her. 
Thankfully she was a good needle sticker and the job was done in no time at all.  However, I was out of the room before she'd finished saying goodbye, I didn't want her having another out of head experience while I was around......