A Trip to Melbourne - Part 2

22nd April 2014

Woke up as early as 5am and still felt energetic at the same time. This would be impossible if I were at home. Thanks to Jamie's mum for the hearty breakfast. It reminded me of the typical breakfasts I had in Hong Kong 5 years ago; noodle soup with an egg and luncheon meat. Then, she dropped me at the train station so I could get to Flinders Street Station to do a little exploring on my own as Jamie had to study for her upcoming examinations. 

Flinders Street Station; one of Melbourne's most recognisable landmarks.

What else can you do in a big city besides sightseeing when you're all by yourself? Eat and drink. Yes, you can always walk into any cafes or restaurants you see as you explore but are you able to try every single one? What if the food you ordered do not taste good? Time is precious when you're on a holiday and you definitely want to enjoy every second to the fullest. Anyway, you'll need the address of a destination before using Google map right? I've downloaded the Urbanspoon application in search of the most recommended and popular cafes or restaurants around. If you haven't heard of it, it's a really convenient application if you don't know where to eat, an everyday problem for people like me. The ratings and reviews may be a guide for you to make the best choice. It's applicable not only in Australia, but also in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. With the app, I have found a few new places that even my friends in Australia have never heard before. 

My first stop was Waffle On on Degraves Street. You probably would be able to guess what it sells from its name. The undying love for waffles is unexplainable.. The best waffle I had before was at Duck & Waffle, London back in January. I'm still wishing and hoping to devour it for another time though! But actually, any waffle is a good waffle to me as long as it's edible because it's way too irresistible. 

I was able to choose two toppings so I chose the combination of peanut butter and maple syrup initially. The owner of the shop thought it wasn't a good combination ( honestly, I thought it wouldn't be that bad.. oh well. ) and suggested peanut butter and Nutella instead.  The so-called ultimate combination of spreads, how could I say no? The crispy waffle topped with the spreads were so goooood especially when it was served hot! Never underestimate what small shops like this can offer. I gobbled it all up in less than 10 minutes. I would have ordered more if I weren't planning to hunt for other food. During the friendly conversation between the owner and I, he told me about how he had explored Kuala Lumpur before when he was about my age and he thought it was a beautiful city. It was also nice of him to advise me to travel as much as I can before I get old like him. Somehow, I felt a tinge of sadness in his words but I just agreed and smiled anyway. The owner even joked and asked if I wanted to bring the plate and cutlery I used back to Malaysia as souvenir when I placed them on the counter after I finished. People like him is one of the reasons why I like traveling so much. 

Next stop was Little Cupcakes, also on Degraves Street, just two shops away from Waffle On. Again, the name probably gives you an idea on what it sells. It's a small bakery selling over 10 different flavours of cupcakes that come in two sizes. As always, I was spoilt for choice.. Being my indecisive self, I took quite some time to decide on what to have. Scroll down to see what I had! I guessed I did not make the wrong decision because the mini cupcakes were superb; not too sweet and they were really fluffy. 

They sell average cupcakes and mini cupcakes in all flavours.

I chose the Red Velvet and Pistachio mini cupcakes. I really should have bought a few more because I really wanted to try many other flavours too!

Then I went to Dukes Coffee Roasters on Flinders Lane. Apparently it serves the best coffee in town. I was contemplating whether to order a hot cup of either a Flat White or Cappuccino, but I was too full. Sigh, blame the small appetite I have. The display of cakes and pastries seemed appetising too. In the end, I ordered a cup of tea to hydrate my body after all the exploring I did. The place also seemed to be a popular place among office workers to get their daily caffeine fixed. 

Met up with Sebastian and he brought me to Queen Victoria Market, another major landmark in Melbourne. All I can say about it is it's just a typical market but on a larger scale. You won't find it boring if you like grocery shopping like me. 

More hot jam donuts, Sebastian's treat! It seems to be a popular snack in Melbourne and I'm missing it already.

Before lunch, we went to look around the University of Melbourne, the school Jamie is currently attending. I would have probably applied for the same university if I were to study in Australia but I chose a different path in the end. It's a huge place and we took quite some time to walk around while chit-chatting and sharing about things that happened back in secondary school. 

Lunch was at Seven Seeds on Berkeley Street. Nice ambience with the lingering aroma of coffee beans. The food was really tasty although I felt really satiated after a few bites of what I ordered, probably because of all the snacks I had in the morning. Glutton much. But I still managed to finish it because it was that good and I would regret not finishing it.

Sebastian's house-smoked salmon with a fennel, white bean & alfalfa salad, almond skordalia, brioche crumbs, friend capers & poached eggs.

My brioche French toast with brandied pear, candied pecans & chocolate ganache. 

Sebastian's Flat White.

We didn't know where to go since I had shopped a lot for the past few days and my luggage did not have anymore space.. I shouldn't have brought too many set of clothes there. Sigh. I'm always having a hard time deciding on which clothes to bring before I travel. To save all the trouble and to be on a safe side, I would bring at least 3 extra sets. Anyway, after lunch, I chilled at Sebastian's place for practically the whole day and reminisced my childhood with online games like MapleStory and o2Jam ( now known as o2Mania for its offline version. ). Time passed really fast when you're playing games, I'm not even kidding. By the time we realised, it was already night time. Then he brought me to Tiamo on Lygon Street for dinner. I'm not in the right position to judge its authenticity but I thought the food was excellent along with the cosy atmosphere! 

A generous serving of Penne Al Ragu - with stewed meat, cooked in rich wine and tomato sauce with shavings of parmesan. Love it!

Sebastian's Risotto Nero - with cuttlefish ink and thinly sliced cuttlefish.

23rd April 2014

It was my last day at Jamie's house before I moved to Rydges Hotel on Exhibition Street in Central Business District ( CBD ) as it's nearer to the airport. Its strategic location near Chinatown and Collins Street Shopping made it convenient for me to get around too. Before we left, we prepared our own breakfast.

I made one of my favourite breakfasts; peanut butter oatmeal with raisins and almonds sprinkled with chia seeds!

Jamie, on the other hand, prepared omelette!

Just an isolated cute mushroom Jamie spotted by a sidewalk and we got excited because we were so awed by it..

While we were waiting for our bus to arrive at the bus interchange, we decided to take a walk at the nearby The Glen Shopping Centre. Since I couldn't shop anymore ( sigh ), I didn't bother going into any boutiques. What attracted us more was Thomas Dux Grocer that sells a wide variety of local and imported fresh food and also stocked with many organic and health food products ( we were more in awe with the organic products than the mushroom we saw. ). If only my luggage had more space......... Hopefully, an organic store specialised in more imported and better quality food products will be opened in Johor Bahru some time in the future. It's pretty exhausting for me to go to and fro Singapore to get certain products that are not available even in the organic stores here. 

It was a pretty long walk to the hotel..... Thanks to Jamie for helping me with my luggage. 

We walked along Chinatown.

And we finally reached the hotel. The hotel staff was friendly and most importantly, the room was comfortable. So glad that I found this hotel on Booking.com at a reasonable price and dad who has apparently stayed in almost all hotels during his past years said it's a hotel worth staying too.   

The person behind the lift's CCTV must be pretty used to this.

And this was my room!

People often asked me if I was afraid to stay alone in the hotel. Of course I was scared during my first time doing so. But then again, why did I even scare myself? So, I always occupy myself with the television or social networks whenever I'm alone resting until I slowly fall asleep. I used to get frightened when I was alone in the dark because of the horror movies and stories that I've watched and read. Then I started refraining all of those because there's no point scaring myself, right? 

Lunch was at Chuckle Park on Little Collins Street. We found the place a little difficult to find because it's situated at a really narrow laneway. We actually passed by it when we were looking for it without realising. The outdoor cafe is really unique and if you're worried about open-air dining in cold weather especially during winters, fear not because a patio heater is placed at the center where it could reach out to everyone. 

 

The small containers containing plants hanging in mid-air will light up at night and it would be a beautiful sight. Eco-friendly too.

Even birds are welcome.

We ordered the signature Pulled Pork Roll - slow spicy pulled pork topped with cheese & walnut, fennel and apple cabbage slaw and also Frittata Roll - Spanish style vegetable tortilla sandwich with cheese, spinach, mayo and eggplant relish. These were two of the best burgers I've had so far!

After I had the waffle at Waffle On on the day before, I've been talking to Jamie about how good it was and insisted her on trying it. I brought her there after lunch and she bought one topped with Nutella ( if my memory is not failing me ). She was truly contented and elated with it, which I kind of expected it! She even mentioned that she would probably have it every now and then whenever she goes to the city. Waffle is definitely our weakness. 

Then she brought me to Federation Square, opposite of Flinders Street Station for some really good Swiss premium ice-cream.  Mövenpick has came a long way since the 60's era and is said to serve the world's best ice-cream. I've tried the Strawberry and Caramelita ( Caramel ) flavours and my sweet tooth was immediately satisfied. I would go back for more if I could! 

Sebastian joined us after that and the three of us went to take a stroll along the Yarra River. Many multinational corporation buildings, artworks and shopping malls can be seen as we walked along the river. A breathtaking sight indeed. 

We came across a street performance by an Asian Chinese who seemed to have possessed martial art skills. But we left before he finished performing as it was taking too long. Besides, we couldn't get his sense of humour after spectating a while.. It was a little awkward to me. 

Sebastian brought us to the casino at Crown Entertainment Complex just to look around. As expected, my passport was required to verify and to ensure that I'm of legal age to enter the casino. In case you're wondering, the minimum legal age to gamble in Australia is 18 and I'm 20 this year. As it wasn't my first time being in a casino, nothing extraordinary caught my eye. I personally do not like to gamble but I find it more interesting when I watch people gamble though. 

After wandering around, the three of us decided to chill by the river in the evening while chit-chatting before Jamie went back home. 

Every night, a fire display will be showcased on a few towers which were aligned in a row ( as shown in the pictures above ). The fire display is called Fireballs or Gas Brigades. We could actually feel the blazing heat on our skins when the fireballs were released.

Spectacular night view of the skyscrapers along the Yarra River.

Sebastian then brought me to Brunetti. We actually planned to have desserts before dinner but the plan turned out to be desserts for dinner instead.. We probably have very small appetites or we probably had ordered too much or both. My jaw dropped the moment I stepped into Brunetti. The amount of cakes and pastries could satisfy my sweet tooth for a lifetime, I'm not even kidding. We seriously had a hard time deciding on what to have. I kid. I left the decision to Sebastian to make because I was busy taking pictures and admiring every single 'masterpiece' displayed there. 

Can you hear me scream?

I can have diabetes just by looking at them.

Mud Cake.

New York Cheesecake.

Flourless Chocolate Souffle. My favourite out of the three!

A good cup of Cappuccino.

In the end, we couldn't finish everything.. I felt bad because Sebastian had to bring back the leftovers and I'm not sure what happened to it after that. 

24th April 2014

Jamie, Sebastian and I took the tram to St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne. Jamie found out on Urbanspoon that a shop called Baker in the Rye on Carlisle Street is a must-try there and sooo, we went. Its Hazelnut Slice was highly recommended and we shared a piece in case we get too full for lunch. The humble looking piece of cake wasn't exactly what I had expected. I thought it would taste spongy and dry, like many other ordinary hazelnut cakes but instead, it was soft, flaky and the alternate layers of cream went really well with the layers of hazelnuts. 

The Hazelnut Slice!

Once again, we found another place called Carlisle Seafood on Urbanspoon for lunch! It is said to serve the best fish 'n' chips in Melbourne. Besides, the menu also has a good selection of fresh seafood such as calamaris, prawns, scallops and mussels. The batter cooked together with fresh fishes by the dedicated and friendly staff was so crispy and it complemented really well with the tartar sauce provided. 

Yum yum in our tum tum. It's a bliss when you're able to enjoy good food in a good weather with a good company.

Other than great food, there are also many beautiful churches in St. Kilda. 

Before going to our main destination, we walked around and entered random shops along the street. One of the shops we went to was a pet shop. Who can resist playful little furballs and talkative birds and slimy slithering reptiles? Ok no, I was kidding. Definitely not the latter.

Ew.

Then off to our main destination, the St. Kilda Beach! But before that, I had a weird conversation with a friendly local old man on the tram.. The conversation went something like this;

Mr. Friendly: You can sit right next to me. Don't worry, I don't bite. You can ask the lady over there.

Me: No, it's okay! ( I doubted the lady knew him, but oh well. He looked friendly anyway. )

Mr. Friendly: Are you a tourist?

Me: Yeah.

Mr. Friendly: How old are you?

Me: I'm 20.

Mr. Friendly: Do you have a boyfriend?

Me: Nope.

Mr. Friendly: Why not? How about that boy over there? ( referring to Sebastian. ) Why don't you give him a chance?

Me screaming for help on the inside but laughing on the outside: Noo, he's attached.

Mr. Friendly: That's a pity. Are you from China?

Me: No, I'm from Malaysia.

Mr. Friendly: Oh. There are Chinese in Malaya? ( Sigh. )

Me: Yeah. It's a multiracial country.

Mr. Friendly: I see. So do you learn how to speak Malay in your school?

Me: Yeap.

Mr. Friendly: I have learnt a few Chinese words from my friend before. Tell me if I'm right. Let me think.

Me: Alright, sure!

Mr. Friendly: Wo ai ni! ( It means ' I love you' in English. ) Right, right? *laughs hysterically*

 Me while laughing awkwardly: Yeap, it's correct. ( Jamie and Sebastian were so helpless. I did hope for them to join in the conversation, but they didn't....)

Mr. Friendly: See, I do remember!

I smiled and moved to the back as more people got up the tram. The conversation was abit longer but I shortened it. You have no idea how glad I was when we've reached the tram stop. Sigh, many unexpected things are bound to happen especially when I travel. Guess things like this are what make my trips more interesting and unforgettable.

I could smell the sea breeze from afar. The weather was cold and very windy but nevertheless,we did enjoy ourselves there. Get ready for some pictures of the breathtaking and amazing views I've witnessed!

I love views like this. Too picturesque!

Observed a number of people fishing regardless the weather too.

Got curious when we spotted a crowd flashing their cameras at a huge pile of rocks that seemed to be just ordinary rocks. In fact, there was a shy and terrified penguin in between those rocks. If only it was roaming around freely like a flock of ducks we've seen!

Can you spot the penguin?

My favourite group photo of the three of us!

After Jamie left, Sebastian and I met up with a Malaysian friend, Kevin who happened to be in Melbourne for a sports competition and his friend, also a Malaysian, Yang Quan for dinner at a Greek restaurant, Stalactites on Lonsdale Street. Kevin was finally able to return my calculator which he borrowed from me for his finals about half a year ago.. Anyway, the queue outside the restaurant was insanely long although the double storey restaurant seemed to be quite spacious. Time seemed to pass by pretty fast while we were busy catching up with one another. One souvlaki each was enough to fill all of our stomachs so we weren't able to finish the meat platter.. Thanks to Sebastian for the treat too! Although he knew that he shouldn't have done that..

Meat Platter - platter of marinated lamb fillet skewers, lamb giro from the spit, chicken giro from the spit, lamb cutlets, hot sausages and homemade Greek risoles.

Chicken Giros Souvlaki - pita with generous fillings of  tender marinated chicken giros from the spit, crisp lettuce, tomato, onion and homemade tzatziki. I was only able to finish 3/4 of it though. 

25th April 2014

Woke up as early as 6 in the morning for my second spontaneous solo food hunt of the trip. I didn't want to waste my time sleeping especially on my last day there. I'm still surprised at my sudden everlasting energy during all the trips I had. Anyway, I was quite worried that the shops around wouldn't be open yet but I was wrong, fortunately. Again, with the help of Urbanspoon, I've found a few good places to eat! My first stop was Pie Face, a bakery cafe where you can find almost everywhere in Melbourne, or even in Australia. The expansion of the megachain has even reached the United States! You can find a variety of pies, pastries, cakes and sandwiches to go with a hot cup of coffee from its coffee menu. Each pie the shop sells has an adorable funny face on it, which will probably put a smile on the customers' faces. The Chicken and Mushroom Pie I tried was warm and crusty and the filling was plentiful and creamy!  

Too cute to be consumed!

While taking a morning walk around random unknown streets while nomming on the pie, I've came across a few beautiful churches, buildings and also graffiti lanes.

There are numerous restaurants and cafes on Degraves Street and I had a hard time deciding on what to have, as usual. In order to save my stomach space for more food later on, I tried a bagel from Pear Drop Foods. It's another bakery cafe selling various pastries, bagels, cakes and salads that are fresh and healthy ( some are even gluten-free! ).  I love how many cafes and restaurants in Australia are so health-conscious, you can indulge ( but not too much ) without any guilt or feeling worry.  

A shop attracted my nose when I was walking along Swanston Street. Waffee, derived from waffles and coffee, serves pretty good Belgian waffles ( not the best I had though ) which I couldn't resist not ordering one to try! I ordered the original waffle with dark chocolate glazed and a cup of regular Belgian hot chocolate ( too much chocolate at once.. I should have ordered a cup of tea instead. ). 

Before meeting up with Jamie, I went to look for Tropicana Juice/Food Bar on Elizabeth Street. With the attractive and eye catching exterior of the shop, it was pretty easy to find. The Tutti Frutti I had was really refreshing and thirst-quenching and I enjoyed it a lot while people watching ( not in a creepy way ) along the street. 

Jamie then brought me to the ever-popular Max Brenner in Queen Victoria Building for more desserts! I've been wanting to check it out after seeing all the hype for it on the Internet when I was doing my research ( I was that excited. ).  

Are you salivating already?

We tried the Tutti-Frutti Waffle and Classic Chocolat. Another good waffle, but not the best I had. We still wolfed down everything anyway. However, the Classic Chocolat was a little too sweet and rich for my taste. It was probably because of all the chocolates I had in the morning before that.. In my opinion, the desserts were still good but a tad overrated. 

Tutti-Frutti Waffle - Belgian waffle served with a single scoop ( or double ) of ice-cream, fresh strawberries and bananas. 

 Classic Chocolat - Hot chocolate served in a hug mug.

Also shopped for snacks and junk food as souvenirs at Woolworths! 

Snapping pictures everywhere we went.

At night, we met up with Sebastian for my last meal in Melbourne at Bentoya, a Japanese restaurant on Hardware Street. The ambience and food were great but I was already having the post-holiday blues. 

Jamie's Zaru Soba Salad - cold buckwheat noodles with mixed lettuce, tomato and cucumber tossed in sesame dressing.

I ordered the Sukiyaki which was really appetising. It consisted of thin slices of prime beef, tofu, mushrooms & mixed asian vegetables cooked in traditional sukiyaki sauce with raw egg on the side.

Sebastian's Soft Shell Crab served with a Japanese salad side.

26th April 2014

The day I dreaded since day 1 of the trip came anyway. Thanks to Sebastian's older brother for taking the trouble to fetch me to the airport early in the morning. I was glad that Jamie stayed a night with me at the hotel so she was able to send me off together with Sebastian! We bid farewell and two months later, Sebastian was already back in Malaysia for his holidays. It's scary how time can pass so fast. Still hoping that I'll see Jamie soon though! Probably in December? 

Yummy inflight food, again!

Quiche for breakfast in the plane!

Three quarter of the loots I got in Melbourne!

Although it wasn't enough, I was still delighted to be able to travel to another foreign land during such a short holiday. Another place crossed off my bucket list! It was truly a relaxing trip with spontaneous decisions and plans, unlike those typical guided tours with curfews and fixed itinerary and if unlucky, inconsiderate adults, wailing babies and ill-mannered kids, which is why I've never liked joining a guided group tour. So, I was considered very fortunate and if all goes well, I will visit the Land Down Under again. 

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Coming up next : A Trip to Bangkok - Part 1