Crab Carnival Fail

It's Autumn and crab season, so I was quite excited (make that VERY excited) to hear that 'The Morrison' is doing a crab carnival. Apparently this is the second year they're doing this since the first time around was so popular. So I had a look online at the menu and I gotta say, the special crab dishes sounded very nice indeed. 

You had crab tacos, crab rolls, chowder, soft shell crab burger, crab linguine and chili mud crab to choose from. So I made the booking and off we went, first of all, the atmosphere was pretty good, the front area is the bar and is a bit noisy, packed with white collar groups. The back area is the restaurant dining hall which was a lot more intimate. We were greeted by a hostess who clearly did not want to be there. The crab tacos are $5 each during happy hour (6-7pm) and we wanted 2, we also ordered the crab rolls, the burger and linguine. 

Ok..where do we start? The tacos and crab rolls came first, we actually ordered 2 but they gave us 6. I guess it's an honest mistake since it said 3 per serve? But there was only 1 crab roll when the menu said it was also 3 per serve. We asked the waitress and she didn't seem to know anything, after a bit of confusion she brought out the other 2 rolls.

The crab tacos were essentially just bits of crab tossed with chillies and herbs and plonked onto a piece of lettuce. The crab meat was so bland and could've really used some kind of dressing, it was a HUGE disappointment because when you think about tacos you imagine a flavourful tasty treat instead of the piece of sh*t that was given to us. Moving onto the rolls, pretty much the same crab meat tossed with chillies and herbs sandwiched between a bun that looked like they got from the supermarket (the no frills kind). These people really shouldn't be so frugal with the sauces, it was so dry and tasteless.

So having had 2 terrible starters, Julian was getting very frustrated by this point. I was hoping perhaps the mains would redeem this place but they didn't. I had the pasta and boy that was the worst pasta I have ever tasted in my life. I'm starting to think that either the chefs do not have any taste buds or they just can't be bothered to taste their own food. The pasta was WAY overcooked, the sauce is basically just lemon juice. You cannot taste anything else other than lemon juice. What a waste of crab meat!

Julian's burger was just fried soft shell crab in between 2 buns (which may I also add, looked like they were bought from a supermarket). The only good thing from that dish was the duck fat chips. 

I would recommend them to stop doing the 'crab carnival', seriously, just don't. The bill? $114, no tips for you thank you!

P.S. I didn't take any photos because I felt like they really didn't deserve it.

 

Churrrr Bro

It has been so hot lately that I've been eating a lot of junk food. Kinda been on a burger binge these 2 weeks, but everyone loves a good cheeseburger right. 

There's actually quite a few burger joints that people have been raving about, one of these is Chur Burger. It sits in a quiet lane way in  Surry Hills and once you get in, the music is pumping, the smell is incredible and the food and service is fast. The kitchen is in full view, you get to see your food being prepared from start to finish. the atmosphere is great, they play a mix of old skool hip hop to new songs and contemporary tracks. 

We ordered 2 cheeseburgers and I got a Milo milkshake as well. The milkshake looks very big but I actually finished most of it, it was so creamy but not too heavy like most milkshakes end up being. The cheeseburgers comes assembled with grilled beef, cheese, tomato jam, mustard mayo and pickles. The cheese was overflowing on my burger and it was so drool worthy! The bun was super soft, I'm guessing it's a brioche bun. The pattie itself was cooked just right, still a bit pink on the inside, it was so moist and juicy. The sauces combined with the slightly crunchy pickle...it was just perfect. 

I think we destroyed our burgers in under 10 minutes, the whole meal lasted under 45 minutes I think because we had to wait for a seat. But even if you do have to wait, the line is never that long because people just eat and leave like we did. I think the next time we come I will try one of their sides like the sweet potato fries or the wings.

48 Albion Street, Surry Hills
http://churburger.com.au/sydney

On a side note, Jules and I tried to make our own burgers the following week, we bought a brioche bun and cut it into a reasonable size. The pattie was from Coles, the Heston one which actually turned out to be quite delicious. We used Colby cheese and he made a sauce out of Sriracha and Aioli and I used a boring BBQ sauce. 

The end result was surprisingly good!  

Let the Courses Never End at Momofuku

Momofuku Seiobo brought to Sydney by chef David Chang is fast becoming one of the most sought after places to eat for Sydney siders. Unlike other restaurants in its category, you can easily book online as they only have 20 day cycles so the chances of you booking a table is a lot higher than say, Quay (you'll have to book a year in advance). This week marks the one year anniversary of Mr Jules and I so we decided to try out Momofuku. 

Situated inside The Star, it's located opposite Adriano Zumbo's store (another place I must remember to try in the future). The restaurant is divided into a dining area and a bar with the chefs cooking your food while you watch. The menu is seasonal and at $185 for 10 courses it is a bit pricey but hey it's all for the experience right. We were seated at the bar and Jules chose the non-alcoholic pairing which includes a mixture of juices and teas. They played a mixture of rap, rock and old school songs which at times was a bit loud. The service was very prompt and attentive, and on with the food!

This was a snack and not a part of the 10 courses. Served in little crunchy cups were:
- Mud crab, chickpea puree
- Zucchini balls, black garlic puree
- Sea urchins and Furikake

The crab was firm and sweet, you can tell it's very fresh and the chickpea puree is mild and creamy. I've had bad sea urchins before so my impression of it wasn't great, the sea urchins served here were so fresh you can taste the ocean from which it came from. The zucchini balls and black garlic puree one took me by surprise as the garlic was very pungent but not in a negative way. The zucchini balls added a very nice crunch factor. 

This is chicken tails fried and served with fish roe. It's very refreshing to see restaurants serving cuts of meat that is otherwise considered garbage, like chicken tails.The tails are fried golden and crispy with no oily aftertaste, the fish roe is refreshing and pops in your mouth. This would be great as a side dish to beer.

Next up is Cep mushroom and hazelnuts on toast. The toasted hazelnuts are hidden underneath the mushroom fuzz so you get a nice crunchy surprise when you bite in. The taste and aroma of hazelnuts and mushrooms fills your entire mouth, it's smooth and creamy but overpowering either. The taste and texture of this is very earthy and we both enjoyed it very much. There's about a 10 - 15 minutes wait between each course, I thought It'd take a lot longer but maybe it's because we're the first ones there. I also really enjoyed watching the chefs preparing the food, certainly have gotten some ideas for my next dinner party. 

Scallop wonton, duck and kombu broth. When you bite into the wonton, there's actually some kind of puree or sauce inside the scallop. I can't tell exactly what but I think it tasted a bit like seaweed. The broth is heavenly! I would think that the duck was stewed in the broth for days with kombu. With a hint of sweetness, it goes perfectly with the noodles that still has a bit of bite to them. 


You can't see it but it is seared Wagyu beef cut into bite sized chunks under all those petal like radish slices. The beef is cooked to medium, served with fermented black bean sauce and covered in fresh and marinated radish slices. It's so pretty to look at, like a blooming flower. The beef is very tender and juicy, it went very well with the salty black bean sauce. The radish was crunchy and refreshing which is what this dish needs otherwise it'd be too dense. 

This is marron with pea and pistachio puree. Marron is like a small lobster essentially, one of the chefs actually brought a live one out to show one of the diners. The Marron is so tender, the flesh is silky and sweet. The peas are quite crunchy, the whole dish is very mild in taste, which after the previous course of the beef is quite suiting in my opinion. I would say this is my second favourite course out of the ten. 


 
Here we have John Dory, broccoli, lemon and almonds. The fish is steamed if I remember correctly, the green puree is made with avocado. The broccoli is very tender, I normally don't like eating broccoli but this was delicious. The fish itself was sweet and not a touch overdone but I think the hero of this dish would have to be the lemon puree. I loved it so much! Full of flavour, the puree is slightly salty and goes so well with the fish. I want to try to replicate this puree at home now haha. My favourite dish of the night goes to the John Dory.


This is Partridge with truffles and endive. I've never had partridge meat before so I was pretty excited when I heard it was partridge. The meat is slightly pink, the skin is very golden and crispy. The flesh is very tender with a little bite, however I found it lacking any flavour. The other elements on the dish didn't really have much flavour either so it wasn't as memorable to me especially after the previous course of the John Dory, it was quite disappointing.





Next up is Duck with swede and rye. The duck on my plate was a bit tough, the skin however was awesome. I didn't really get the point of the swede, it just tasted like boiled cabbage and seemed a bit useless on the plate. Probably my least favourite dish of the night.




Time for dessert yay! First up is something called Ewe's curd, choux, rose. The pastry reminds me of a profiterole but a lot more crunchier. The curd inside is very creamy and sweet, the rose syrup is also very nice and refreshing, I can imagine eating a dozen of these by myself.  

Next is corn, chervil, anise. I had to break apart the meringue on the top to show what's underneath. The yellow and green creams are the corn and chervil. The chervil tastes extremely weird, like some kind of grass or tree bark. I think my mind was expecting some kind of green tea taste. The meringue was very nicely done though, sweet (thank god) and light, which helped with the weird aftertaste. This would have to be my least favourite dish of the night.

This pretty little thing is called artichoke, pear, sunflower. The pear is really soft and delicate, almost melts in your mouth. The sunflower seeds offer a nice crunch and texture. The artichoke is also very soft and a bit gooey, the whole dessert was very light and not too sweet.





The last treat was these, caneles. The pastry chef told us that these were made with a beeswax coating. I actually looked up the recipe afterwards and they take a lot of effort to make. The outside is very crunchy and looks a bit burnt from the caramalisation, the inside is soft and a bit spongy. We really enjoyed these little things and was very sad the night had come to an end.

I would highly recommend Momofuku, every course was a delight although I personally did not enjoy some courses. But in the end it was a great night, Jules' non-alcoholic pairing was also awesome. You also get to take samples of their tea home as a gift. Would definitely come here again, perhaps when the menu changes according to the season.

Get Stoned at Ms G's

Ahh and the nice weather has come back! It's officially spring and there's sweetness in the air, time to venture out and try new places again. This time we are visiting Ms G's in Potts Point, a very funky modern Asian restaurant. There's actually heaps of really cool places in this area, remember "Hinky Dinks" which I also blogged about?

We went on a Wednesday night, the restaurant had just opened and we were asked to go to the top floor for a drink as they prepare for dinner service. I had the "Aloe Vera" (Absolut vanilla, limoncello, crushed lemons, Aloe Vera foam) and Jules got the "G’n & T’d Slushee (Beefeater, green apple and peach liqueurs, pink grapefruit juice, jasmine and pearls). His drink actually came packaged "Asian style", as you would get from any Asian bubble tea stall. The cup was super cute and it's nice to see this place embracing the Asian culture not just in the form of food. The aloe vera foam on my drink was quite refreshing, the drink itself was mostly dominated by the taste of limoncello but very nice regardless.

The decor is quite hipster, like what you would expect from a place like this actually. Random words or song lyrics fill the huge black wall on the one side, neon signs, dim lighting from industrial style pendants, mix match vintage chairs and plates. There's a floor length window at the end of the room which gave you a very nice view of the city as well. 

Anyhow, let's get to the food! So we got:

House-made black pudding, bbq octopus, crispy potato, chilli jam

Char-grilled fish wings, chilli nam yum, shellfish oil, crispy garlic

Beef short rib – “Roll your own adventure” green tomato & lemongrass salsa, wasabi nuoc cham, various herbs & leaves, rice paper & peanuts 

"Stoner's Delight part 3" - doughnut ice cream, peanut dulce de leche, peanut & pretzel brittle,
crispy bacon, mars bar brownie, potato chips and deep fried nutella

It's my first time trying black pudding, I've had blood before but in the jelly form so I was quite interested in seeing what black pudding tasted like texturally. It was served with bbq octopus and potatoes. The black pudding was salty, had the texture of a very moist cake and I could taste chinese five spice in it too. Jules found it too salty but I loved it, paired with a bit of potato and dressing it was just heavenly. 

The fish wings was just fins chargrilled and served with nam yum sauce. The fish was cooked just right, the flesh is firm with a little bit of bite. The tip of the fins you can literally chew on because it's so crispy, like potato chips.

If you're familiar with Vietnamese food then you'll know rice paper rolls, most Vietnamese restaurants have roll your own rice paper rolls too but this is so much better! The beef ribs by far is the best beef ribs I've had ever. The meat is still pink on the inside, slightly salty and melts in your mouth. You dip the rice paper in the bowl of water, it only needs about 2 seconds, place the paper on your paper and fill the center with vermicelli noodles, beef and fresh herbs. Roll it up, dip in sauce and put in mouth, happy days.

For dessert we went with the most awesome sounding one on the menu. "Stoner's Delight Part 3". Deep fried nutella, say what?! When it actually came, it was slightly disappointing I must say, we had imagined it to be somewhat more extravagant. The deep fried nutella is very gooey and warm on the inside, overpowering all the other elements though. I feel like after eating this dessert I need to go for a run.

We didn't get too much this time and managed to finish all our food, my favorite would have to be the beef ribs. It was just so delicious, moist and tender. Come and celebrate Asian culture at Ms G's!

155 Victoria Street, Potts Point
 
 

In Asia

If you want to go to a fancy schmancy restaurant you'd have to head to the city these days but I happened to stumble across this place called "In Asia". Of all places on Concord Rd too. If you haven't been to Concord Rd, it's mostly Indian and Thai eateries and all the big Pizza names on the one road. So when we saw how fancy this place was I was truly surprised. The type of cuisine is Fusion, from the menu it seems like fusion between Chinese, a bit of Japanese and Malaysian cuisines.

The decor is pretty funky, some kind of tree with hanging yellow flowers are placed in between the row of booths. The space feels big but also intimate at the same time. 

So we got:

Caramelised twice cooked pork belly, crispy panko egg, sweet tamarind sauce 

Chargrilled wagyu rump with chilli flake and lime sauce

Chicken thigh marinated in pandan and sesame

Barbequed pork neck marinated in palm sugar and garlic

Red curry of duck breast, lychee, cherry tomatoes, lime leaves

Roti

Popcorn Parfait 

The pork belly came first, the panko eggs looked like they were cooked to perfection, the yolks still runny. The pork is crispy on the outside and soft and meaty on the inside, it has retained its crispiness whilst being covered in sauces. The sauce is sweet and fragrant with a hint of sourness from the tamarind which went well with the sweetness of the pork. The eggs don't really have any tastes to them which is a shame because a little saltiness would work so well. The curry and meats on sticks came next. The curry was very creamy, the lychee added a nice refreshing zing and texture to the richness of the duck, again, very good dish. The side of roti was also excellent, soft and a bit chewy. 

Of the three skewers I liked the pork neck the most, the pork was caramelised and the fat is almost translucent. The meat was well marinated and grilled just right, not tough and chewy at all.  

Then came the dessert, we went with the very original popcorn parfait which consisted of caramel popcorn, crushed corn flakes, grilled sweet corn and caramel jersey cream. When it first came out I noticed what looked like a stick of butter but in fact was the caramel jersey cream, I took a spoonful imagining it to be butter but in fact it was creamy, sweet (but not overly sweet) and melt in your mouth goodness. It reminds me of semi frozen whipped cream if that makes sense. The rest of the elements were ok, lots of crunch and bite which went well with the soft creamy jersey cream. The taste overall is just so so but I give them extra points for originality.

I like the fact that this place opened in the suburbs, it not only brings something different to a place that isn't normally associated with anything fine dining but also gives people somewhere to go without sitting through traffic and dealing with expensive parking tickets. The food and atmosphere is great and so are the staff. I would definitely come back here again.

In Asia

181 Concord Rd, North Strathfield.

If You Love Burgers Say "Moo"!

 
Moo Burgers
It's Friday night and I was planning to spend the night at home cleaning but my friend Annie suggested we go out on a "date night". After much debate where we should go, we settled on Newtown. 

It was especially cold and walking around King St looking for a place to eat was not exactly what I had in mind. She suggested "Moo Burgers" which was a gourmet burger joint, I'm not really a big burger fan to be honest but I was starving and anything would've been nice and in we went.

The place is quite cosy, the walls are decorated with kids' drawings of cows. As soon as you walk in the smell of grilled bacon hits your nose and I immediately felt my stomach start to grumble. The menu is quite simple, the normal cheeseburgers with some gourmet selections but one burger caught my eye, the "Duck and Bacon". Duck you say? Oh my I just gotta try this! Annie got the wagyu burger and we also ordered a cheesy bacon fries with their homemade sweet chilli jam sauce to share.  

The burgers looked standard enough, pattie & veggies with sauce sandwiched between two buns. The taste however, is quite phenomenal. 
The duck pattie was so soft and fragrant, filled with spices and sooooo juicy. The sourdough bun is just perfection as buns go, slightly crunchy on the outside and super soft on the inside, making each bite hugely satisfying. The tomato and lettuce are fresh and crunchy but my favourite element would have to be the orange jam on top of the duck pattie. It just takes everything to another level, sweet and a little bit tangy, oh my god I want some more now. The wagyu was just as awesome, the brie and the caramalised onions paired with the juicy wagyu pattie, again is just perfection. 

You know the food is good when there is no talking and trust me, we talk a lot lol. Ah "Moo Burgers", my new favourite burger place for sure!

Chocoloco

It wouldn't be a complete meal without desserts. After searching the streets to find a proper dessert place we came upon "Chocoloco". On one of their walls I found this quote, "Stressed spelled backward is desserts". Instant mind blow!

I didn't want to just get your standard chocolate pizza or banana split so I went all out and got their "Chocolate Supreme Belgian Waffle Cookie Brownie Sundae".
Yes it's quite a mouthful and literally too. The sundae was huge, pieces of oreos, brownies, waffles topped with whipped cream on a mountain of chocolate ice cream. The taste was great though, the whipped cream helped to cut some of the richness from all the other elements, oh and one thing to note is that if you get desserts here they give you free coffee. Not bad right?

In the end, I'm glad I came out despite the bone chilling wind :D

https://www.moogourmetburgers.com.au/

Chefs On Show

I apologize again for the lack of posts lately but I don't think I've ever blogged about Chinese food and just so happens that we went to eat at a "Modern" Chinese food restaurant over the weekend so here it is. 'Chef's Gallery' popped up a few years ago in Town Hall, it has put a rather sophisticated spin on your average Chinese dishes. The kitchen is in full view with dozens of chefs making dumplings, kneading noodles, stir-frying. 

The menu is rather extensive, there are a lot of dim sims, appetisers, entrees, mains and of course, desserts. We got the mixed dim sim platter just to sample a mix of different ones. There was duck and mushroom steamed dumpling, chicken steamed dumpling, prawn & pork dumpling with chilli soy sauce, prawn and pork dumpling. For entree we had the mini Macau pork burgers and pulled pork with pancakes. Felt like noodles so we also got the hand made noodles with prawns in a chilli tomato sauce. Dessert is a must of course, their signature dessert just happens to be the cutest thing! "Piggies goes to visit the bunnies"...awww. 

The dim sims were nice, having had lots of dim sims in my life (good and bad) I can't really say much else about them. The flavours and textures were all there, a little better than some yum cha places. I did enjoy the duck and mushroom one though, just a bit different I guess. The mini burgers were a big hit with Jules (he really likes burgers). There's pork floss added to the burgers which gave them a sweet and crunchy bite, the fried buns were fragrant and crispy, the pork was juicy and sweet, it was very enjoyable to say the least. The pulled pork was so tender, but it made me think it was duck for a while because you have to wrap it in the pancake and drizzle over the sauce to eat it, much like how you would eat Peking duck. The noodles used to be thin and with a bit of bite but they changed it to a flatter, softer noodle which I didn't enjoy as much, the sauce however is still very nice, not as chilli as I'd remembered though. 

Then it was time for dessert. The platter was presented with a feast for the eyes, 2 red bean centered buns shaped like piggies, 2 marshmellow bunnies, a house made of wafers, 2 scoops of ice cream (strawberry & mango), roasted chestnuts, a sandy path made of milk powder, stones made of this chinese snack that tastes like milky crunch balls. It's just full of detail! Although I must admit that the taste is rather mediocre, it's still worth getting just for the mere sight of it.

If you're bored of just your average Chinese seafood restaurants and looking for something that's a bit different then try Che'f Gallery. They don't take bookings for weekends so best come early or on a weekday because the line can get quite long. 

Shop 12 Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
www.chefsgallery.com

Excelsior Jones

Brunch..ah, it's just one of those things you do when you become a couple. Sunday mornings, lazy and slow. I personally really enjoy brunch, it's such a weekend thing to do. One of my girlfriends recommended to come and try Excelsior Jones, apparently their 'Breakfast in a bowl' is pretty awesome. Situated in a very residential street in the middle of Ashfield, I've been told that it gets packed real fast. Before you even go in, you can smell the bacon, coffee and baked goods drifting through the air. The kitchen is small and compact, the water is served in a recycled glass jar instead of a bottle. "Very hipster for Ashfield" is the first thought that popped into my head and it is in fact, very hipster. One might imagine this kind of place to appear in Newtown or Darlinghurst perhaps but Ashfield? Regardless, the first impression wasn't bad. The menu is separated into breakfast and lunch, I got the Pork hash with pearl shallots, fried buckwheat, poached egg & fresh herbs. Jules got the smashed mint peas with bacon on toast. I'm a soy latte sipper and most of the time the milk is burnt, I can confidently say that my soy latte from Excelsior Jones was just perfect. 

My pork hash looked glorious, you can tell that the egg is poached just right simply by looking at it. The potatoes are roughly crushed and pan fried, the skin crispy while the inside is still moist and fluffy. When you break the yolk of the egg, the gooey yellow centre oozes down and mixes with the potatoes and pork. The pulled pork is so satisfying to munch on, especially when paired with the potatoes and the caramelised shallots. The buckwheat adds a nice crunch. Jules' one was nice to look at but in terms of taste, mine would win for sure. 

This place did surprise me a lot, not only did I have the best soy latte here, I also have found my favourite brunch dish. If only it was in Burwood...oh well, regardless, highly highly recommended!

139A Queen St, Ashfield

Mary's oh Mary's

On my birthday I decided I wanted my favourite food, fried chicken. So on the hunt for new places to eat fried chicken, I came across Mary's in Newtown. Set inside what was once a sexual health clinic, tucked away in an alleyway in Newtown.

Newtown is home to many wonderful places to eat, a lot of American diner style restaurants have popped up all over Newtown in recent years which is awesome for me of course. It's also the hipster capitol of Sydney, here you will see people from all walks of life, mainly hipsters. So it's not surprising to find Mary's to be exactly that. The building has no signs at the front, just a blue light above the front entrance. As you walk into the building, the loud music hits you first and I mean, it's loud. The place looks very cool though, wall murals of skeletons in Satan suits and high ceiling lights, very Newtown. There's a bar downstairs but if you want table service you gotta go upstairs. There are no menus, everything is written on walls or ceilings. Reading the drinks menu on the ceiling gave my neck a workout. It's also very dark upstairs, lit up only by candles. The menu is simple, burgers, fried chicken and mash and gravy.
 
You have 3 choices for burgers: Cheeseburger, Mary's burger or Mushroom burger for the vegetarians. You can add 'trashcan bacon' (bacon grilled in a old trashcan) to your burgers. For fried chicken you can get half a bird, whole bird or larry bird which is 2 whole chickens. 

For our visit I ordered a cheeseburger with bacon, Jules got the Mary's burger with bacon. Half a chicken, mash and gravy, I also ordered a cocktail called "red shot". The service was great, our waitress was very pleasant and knew all the drinks well. The music again, was very loud, we had to yell at each other to have a conversation. The cocktail was very strong, it was like drinking straight gin so I only had a bit. 

The food however, was worth slowly getting deaf for. When our food arrived, we were already starving so it's no surprise that we finished everything in less than 15 minutes. The cheeseburger was everything a good burger should be, the pattie was moist and juicy. The bun was super soft and sweet, accompanied by mustard, tomato sauce, tangy cheese and the bacon grilled to perfection. There was no talking, we ate our burgers in silence and finished it within 5 minutes. Then I started on my love, fried chicken. Oh fried chicken oh fried chicken how I love thee. Mary's fried chicken was crunchy on the outside and extremely juice and tender on the inside. I was too busy eating so I didn't take a photo of the bitten chicken (I'm sorry...). Some might find it a bit too salty but I didn't care at all, it was the best god darn chicken I've ever had and I've had a lot of fried chicken! Next time, I'm getting a whole chicken. The mash and gravy was very creamy and delicious, gobbled up by Tian and Jules in less than 2 minutes. 

Would love to go back again, unless I find another place with better fried chicken. Highly recommended, come for their eclectic decor and energy, awesome food and great service. Distinctively Newtown? Absolutely!

Take Me To Where The Mountains Are Blue

For my birthday this year I decided to go travel alone, not too far though, just to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains got its name from the blueish tint as you look over the valleys and mountains. It was June and boy was it cold. While I was not fortunate enough to catch the snow, I did get to experience the beauty of foggy mountain view. I always stay at Leura, which is this very charming village with a lot of character. 

Apart from Leura I didn't go anywhere else this time as I only had 1 and a half day but I still did most of the things I wanted to do. Leura village centre/Leura Mall is basically a main strip of road filled with restaurants and shops. There's also a Woolworths so it is very convenient if you want to cook your own dinner. There are a lot of really nice and quirky shops here selling stationary and homewares. There are also shops that sell things made by local artists and a really nice chocolate place called Josophan's fine chocolates, I love the waffles balls they sell here, goes perfect with hot chocolates. Next to Josophan's is a art gallery showcasing some really cool wooden sculptures and artworks. You can spend half a day shopping and browsing here easily. But most importantly of course, let's get into the food. Leura has some of the best food I've ever eaten. 

Le Gobelet French Restaurant

I had the best french food ever here, too bad it's up for sale now so I couldn't have the pleasure of tasting their food one last time. From memory, the crab crepes was the most outstanding dish. The duck with cherry sauce was also devine, I very much regret not been able to fit desserts in after all that food. The place is actually a house with the living room tranformed into a dining hall. The owners are one crazy pair, the last time I was here, I could hear the chef banging and swearing from the kitchen. We had to wait 2 hours for our food to arrive but man was it worth it! It's such a shame to see this place go, I am truly saddened. 

Red Door Cafe

You have to try their coffees, best in Leura I'd say. The food here is also awesome, simple but tasty with local ingredients. Most of the time I get breakfast or brunch here, their sausages are excellent and so is everything else. 

Bon Ton

First time trying this one, located at the end of the street I've always walked past it but never actually went in. But after seeing Le Gobelet closed I really wanted french food and so in I went. It was the first time I've eaten at a proper restaurant by myself, the thought of it always weirded me out but actually sitting and eating by myself wasn't that bad at all.  I got the Escargot cooked with parsley, garlic, eschallot butter and freekah crust. A fricasse of chicken, leek and mushroom pie, served with roasted eschallots and spinach. I really like escargot especially with a lot of parsley and butter, if it comes with bread for dipping then even better. These escargot were a bit too dry for me, while the snails themselves were very tender and juicy, I found the crust to be a bit lacking in taste and dry. The pie however was marvellous! The crust is cooked to perfection, encasing the chicken, leek and mushroom inside. Full of flavour and texture, I also really liked the accompanying spinach and roasted eschallots. It was a very satisfying meal to say the least, well worth a visit in the future.

Bygone Beautys

Technically a teapot and antiques museum but I came at a wrong time because they're currently expanding so all the showcasing teapots were moved. But the other antiques and teapots are still on display which you can also buy if you want to. The place is a bit cramped but I came here for the Devonshire tea. Served with 2 homemade scones, it is the perfect way to spend your afternoon by the fireplace. I love my scones smothered in cream and jam. The scone melts in your mouth along with the sweet strawberry jam and cream, yum!

Another place I visited during my stay was the Toy and Railway museum. From the look of their website it seemed quite a awesome place to visit but from my experience it was far from that. It is inside a 100 year old house which looked quite nice from the outside, once you go in, the entrance fee is $14, that's pretty steep for just a look around the house and the garden outside. You are also not allowed to take photos inside the house, a bit weird but ok whatever. The house is pretty old with creaky floorboards, there are several rooms, some you are allowed in and some not. Toys from all ages are showcased here, mostly creepy dolls and toy trains. 

After wondering around the first floor I went upstairs and I felt so uneasy up there I had to come down again. Maybe it was just my imagination but the air upstairs was so dense and uncomfortable I just didn't want to stay another second. Outside in the garden is the train displays. Some of the old railway station signs and etc are on display, that's about all that's interesting here. I probably wouldn't recommend you coming here, maybe if you're truly bored and have nothing else to do.

I used to think travelling alone would be boring and lonesome but now that I've actually experienced it I would definitely do it again. Just because I'm alone doesn't mean I'm lonely, I think everyone should try it at least once in their lives. 

Well then, till next time, bon voyage! 

:)