Little King

On the way back from the vintage fair, we visited this fantastic little cafe called Little King hidden in Westin Melbourne's alley run by Melbourne's sweetest girl.

most delightful strawberry tea from Serendipitea. it's called Strawberry Kisses. too cute.

vintage tea spoon. don't sweat, it's hygienic. trust them.

a drop of golden sunshine in a bowl. indeed the most delicious pumpkin soup i've ever had to date. 

exterior of the cafe. randomly, don't you think this guy should work for Abercrombie & Fitch? So Ken-looking.

Ave- my dearest, extremely talented friend who captures most of the pretty pictures featured in this blog - and I just can't stop blushing and giggling after the view. thank you for the entertainment, eye candy.

Definitely a must visit! It has always been a lovely surprise when there's such a place hidden the busy, busy CBD.

Food Society

First time eating a modern eastern european meal and it was truly enjoyable. Slightly whimsical yet somehow dark and romantic, Food Society offers delicious dishes prepared by super good looking chef and served with equally heart-throbbing waiters.

blini stack, two types of roe, creme fraiche and dill. perfect starters.

guess winter came late in Sydney

goulash society style - slow braised beef cheek, polenta and paprika

twice cooked lamb ribs with sliced potatoes, tomato, eggplant and rosemary. tender, juicy, flavourful - delivers everything you expect from lamb ribs.

grilled cuttlefish on squid ink risotto and parmesan - dish of the night, hands down the best risotto i've ever had.

society signature pashka with strawberry compote - tasted like a very light cheesecake.

fluffy walnuts and chocolate souffle served with ice cream.

A girl just couldn't be happier.

Chat Thai

Had heard so much about how wonderful this place is. We were so pumped up, once we got the seat at Chat Thai we ended up ordering five dishes with white fluffy rice for each yet there were actually only three of us. Humiliated ourselves due to our greediness since we were seated in the communal table with a petite couple who were very astonished with the capacity of our tummies. Not to mention I ended up eating most of the dishes we ordered since I transformed into Foodzilla that day due to my monthly syndroms. You know what I mean. Goodness gracious.

tom ssap; i hope i'm spelling this correctly!

seriously sick pad thai. sick in a good way, of course.

the ultimate savoury guilty pleasure - spicy fried rice with glistening sunny side up and extras of pork belly = carbs &fats. the gym awaits as the Foodzilla a.ka. me finished this thing alone ignoring the flabbergasted couple sitting opposite.

chewy pork shoulder

green is good for your health and so is this curry! ok maybe it's just good for the tongue & tummy.

It really does live up to its fame, I must say. The best Thai food I've ever had so far, can't stop thinking of going back every single day, for lunch, dinner and supper. Yes, that's how much I love them. Even simply staring at the pictures makes my tummy rumbles. Lord, do bring me back to Sydney!

Jamie's Italian

So excited to finally visit one of Jamie Oliver's restaurant. Stumbled upon this wonderful alley on the way there.

such a pleasant surprise!

sad, melancholic title for the artwork

hauntingly beautiful, somehow it oozes a sense of loneliness.

Only in Sydney have I stumbled upon something so unexpected in the middle of nowhere. The alley is full of the recordings of various birds' beautiful singing, details of what bird is it is written on the pavements. So sad and beautiful at the same time.

too excited, starting to take pictures of every little details of the place. i know, i know. i'm so asian.

the busy, busy counter.

the menu. i think. 

snippet of my outfit of the day - ASOS' rose gold watch; Forever New coat & dress; Wolford tights

 Moving on, we finally reached the destination of the day, Jamie's Italian! Got a seat right next to the busy counter on the second floor. 

complimentary bread drenched in olive oil

the phantom looks like it's helping me hold the piece of bread. book ring i got off The Rocks' weekend market.

apple & pear gorgonzola salad with peppery watercress & honey toasted walnuts

smoky scamorza arancini - crispy rice balls stuffed with
smoked mozzarella & porcini

We started off with the salad and the wonderful rice croquettes. Beautifully executed.

fish baked in a bag- local fish of the day with clams,
mussels, fennel, chilli, anchovies
&Sicilian cracked wheat

osso bucco milanese -Aussie lamb cooked overnight with
tomatoes, saffron, wine & herbs.
Served on oozy polenta bianca

We had the fish and the lamb as mains for our lunch, I thought these two could have been much better. On top of that, it is sad to say that the rude waiter at the place ruined the meal. Oh well, things aren't perfect all the time, it's just life.

Movida Bar de Tapas

Had always wanted to visit the place since everyone shouts out about how good it is. Glad we got a spot the other night at Movida Bar de Tapas when we were totally in the mood for a fancy dinner and thank God that it does lives up to its fame! Movida was ooh so good.

generous amount of complimentary bread and olive oil.

Anchoa; the hand-filleted cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet. look at them glisten!

So the super friendly waiter recommended that we started on this baby and it's the perfect starter. The tomato sorbet and anchovies just melted beautifully together and it was very refreshing, a real kick of a taste of Spain.

croquetas de choco en su tinta- squid ink croqueta with cuttlefish. i just can't live without deep fried goodies. mmhm.

pollo escabache al miguel - spiced chicken escabache tapa on crisp crouton. this is no ordinary chicken and mayo, people.

cordero al chilindron - pyrenees wet roast lamb breast with fino and paprika sauce. THE BOMB.

We then moved on with these tapas selection and none of them dissapoints. Makes me drool just by remembering how good it is. Mmm.

bistec tartar de wagyu - spicy steak tartare of raw, grass-fed wagyu beef. eating raw beef has never crossed my mind but this baby changed my life forever. literally.

carrillera de buey- slowly braised beef cheek in pedro ximenez on cauliflower puree

Next, we ate the steak tartare and the beef cheek as mains. More than enough to share for three, filled our tummies up to the brim which is a great, pleasant surprise since I originally thought just eating tapas won't be enough. And not forgetting to mention, it is DELICIOUS. Yes, with caps.

flan con pestinos- crème caramel served with spicy sherry pastries. Spanish can do caramel pudding too, how exciting! Does remind me of the Japanese caramel pudding, though. don't judge me people, i can't help it. i'm asian.

pan con chocolate- bread and olive oil sorbet. it's description really doesn't do any justice. no ordinary log of choc, four thumbs up for the olive oil sorbet. oh come on, it's OLIVE OIL sorbet! someone just had to get excited over that. ok maybe it's just me.

And don't forget the desserts! Caramel and chocolate can never, ever go and do any wrong. Maybe just ruining the waistline on the downside. And adding the horror when stepping on the scale. Well, it's all worth it!  

red sangria. alcohol woot woot!

Slush them down with this perfect sangria, get those alcohol running to complete the experience. Walked out the place feeling like a lady of Spain, feeling like a lady in pain later on when it's time to weigh myself. Regrets always come late.

Nonetheless, great friendly atmosphere, love the idea of sharing food instead of individual portions. Such a relaxed ambiance for a so called fancy dinner. It's so refreshing to be able to laugh to your heart's content instead of having to lower down your volume and stiffened up just because the place is fancy. You know what I'm talking about.

The best part is, a branch of it is now open in Tullamarine Airport! No more suffering when flights from Melbourne gets delayed.