Shake Shack, New York

My sister and I waited in line for half an hour for what we heard were the best burgers in New York. Even though the lines are long...the burgers are worth the wait!  I was expecting an all american, greasy, gigantic beef burger but what I got was actually quite cute and so very delicious! The chips were amazing too and crinkle cut! The original Shake Shack is located in Madison Square Park near the Flat Iron Building. I miss New York! Na xo
Photos by A.G.

Magnolia Bakery, New York

This bakery has been on my list of places to go for a long time now. I finally got to visit it when I went to New York City for a little holiday with my sister. It's the most adorable bakery and everything is baked and decorated by hand. They're well known for their amazing cupcakes topped with a signature swirl of delicious frosting. The baked goods on offer don't just stop with cupcakes; they have brownies, cookies and a huge range of full-sized cakes.

The bakery now occupies a few locations dotted about the city but the one I went to was the very first and is located on a quiet street in the west village. Ladies or gents who love "Sex and the City" may also recognise it, as it features in one of the episodes.

Carrie and Miranda having a cupcake outside Magnolia Bakery in Sex and the City.

The original Magnolia Bakery can be found at 401 Bleecker Street, New York. Na xo
Photos by A.G.

Hong Ha

I've eaten a few vietnamese rolls over the years but my absolute favourite comes from a little bakery called Hong Ha in Mascot. I always get the chicken roll with chilli and it never disappoints! They also offer pork rolls, chicken and cheese rolls and other delicious baked goods. When you arrive at Hong Ha, expect a queue that goes out the door but don't be discouraged as this usually moves quite quickly and it will be worth it!

Hong Ha is located at 1151 Botany Road, Mascot, NSW. Na xo

Le Petit Creme, Darlinghurst

Eggs benedict with salmon and toasted brioche.

I'd been wanting to try Le Petit Creme for a while, so when I had to be at Darlinghurst at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning and it happened to be Mr Mi's birthday, I thought what a perfect excuse to head here for brekky (not that I need an excuse to go out for breakfast!). It was pretty busy, but we managed to squeeze into a table in the corner. The breakfast was so delicious and we were both totally satisfied, will definitely come here again. Mi xo

Scrambled eggs with ham and toasted brioche.

Na Zdrowie Polish Restaurant

Pierogi - Polish dumplings

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I decided to have a dinner date at Na Zdrowie Polish Restaurant. The name "Na Zdrowie" translates to a toast to good health. We had been there before and loved the food and felt it was time to return for seconds. It was a blistering cold night in Sydney but once we were inside Na Zdrowie with dumplings in our belly, it felt very warm and cosy. If you ever eat at this restaurant, please try the pierogi;  soft, pillowy, melt in your mouth, polish dumplings. There are 3 different fillings to choose from and you can have them boiled or fried. We got them boiled with a white cheese and potato filling. Delicious!

For the mains, I got the Kielbasa, which is a smoked polish sausage with potatoes and pickles and my boyfriend got Schabowy, more commonly known as schnitzel. We washed down this hearty meal with a clear juice called a Kompot, which tasted like stewed apples and cinnamon. It was like apple pie in liquid form! Na zdrowie!

Kompot

Na Zdrowie is located at 161 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney and is open every night from 6pm. Na xo

Eschalot Restaurant, Berrima

Trio of Cuttaway Creek raspberry - soufflé, sorbet & jube.

We recently met up with family for a joint birthday celebration and decided to head to the lovely town of Berrima for lunch. After a quick online search of restaurants in the area, I came across Eschalot Restaurant which looked absolutely perfect for the occasion. We were seated in a small dining room, which was lovely as it felt like our own private dining area. Everything on the menu looked so delicious I had trouble deciding, in the end I ordered the seared scallops as an entree and had the pork fillet as a main. The food was so yummy that I forgot to take photos! You can probably tell by now, that I still had room for dessert given the number of dessert photos in this post. No, I didn't eat everything you see here. I ordered the raspberry souffle and it was absolutely divine, so light and perfectly paired with the sorbet. Mr Mi had the jaffa mousse cake which was also delicious and my sister had the creme brulee. Needless to say, I was seriously stuffed after all that food and if that wasn't enough my tea was served with petit fours! If you are ever around the Southern Highlands, I highly recommend this place, the food is fabulous and so is the service. After lunch, we wandered down the main road and I bought myself a jar of homemade lemon butter from the Little Hand-stirred Jam Shop. YUM! Love Mi xo

Chocolate jaffa mousse cake with vanilla, honeycomb ice cream.

Vanilla crème brûlée with poached rhubarb.

Petit fours.

The Pie Tin

Mi and I recently went on a lunchtime adventure in search of the perfect pie. Having heard so many good things about The Pie Tin in Newtown, we knew we had to try it out. There's nothing better than a hearty pie on a cold winters day and these pies sure did put the roses back in our cheeks! There is a wide selection of savoury and sweet pies, as well as delicious side dishes. Mi ordered a lamb and rosmary pie and I got a roast pork pie with apples. We also shared some sweet potato mash and mushy peas. We smothered our pies with tomato sauce and gobbled them down. They were delicious and the pastry was PERFECT! Word to the wise...they do not provide knives here, only sporks and eating with your hands is encouraged! 

After we ate our savoury pies, we could not leave without trying a sweet one. The display cabinet was way too tempting. There was so much choice! It took us a while to decide but we finally settled on a slice of coconut and lime cream pie, which was amazing! Next time I would like to try a slice of the apple pie, which is probably the biggest apple pie I have ever seen in my life! Next time you're in the mood for a pie, try one from The Pie Tin but I insist that you treat yourself to a sweet one as well!

The Pie Tin is located at 1 Brown St. Newtown, NSW. Enjoy! Na xo

The Sweet Spot Patisserie

Left: Banana Royale. Right: Apple Strudel.

Once every few months, my boyfriend and I go to the beautiful, art deco styled, Randwick Ritz Cinema. It has become somewhat of a tradition to follow a movie with afternoon tea around the corner at The Sweet Spot Patisserie, which is cutely named considering it's location at The Spot in Randwick. We often have cups of Earl Grey tea and split an apple strudel, while we pretend to be Margaret and David and discuss the complexities of the film we just saw. Apart from the delicious strudel, The Sweet Spot has an amazingly wide variety of cakes and biscuits to choose from. We've tried the profiteroles, cannoli, banoffie pie and the banana royale. I've got my eye on the sour cherry and ricotta strudel for next time! So if you find yourself in Randwick, visit the The Sweet Spot and maybe catch a movie. It might become a tradition for you too! The Sweet Spot is located at 18 Perouse Rd. Randwick. Na xo

Hong Kong Dim Sum

Tim Ho Wan, 2-8 Kwong Wah St, Hong Kong, China

Images from top to bottom and left to right: steamed vegetables and crispy BBQ pork bun (cha siu bao), steamed dumpling Chiu Chow style, eggplant, spinach and mushroom dumplings, prawn dumpling (har gow/xia jiao), crispy BBQ pork bun (cha siu bao), pan fried turnip cake, pork and prawn dumpling (siumai).

WARNING: Be prepared to wait for a table! We came early one Saturday morning (or so we thought) to have dim sum for breakfast, we were there by 9:40 am and the restaurant opened at 10:00 am. By then there was already a line up that went down the block and around the corner. Mr Mi collected at an order form and we ticked off the dishes we wanted, seemed easy enough. When we finally arrived at the front of the line we were given a number (36) and asked to come back two hours later. What? Did I hear that correctly, two hours? Yes, two hours. According to Lonely Planet and a number of other review articles, this place has the best dim sum in Hong Kong so we thought to ourselves sure let's just wait it out. Meanwhile, we head down the road for a couple of egg custard tarts to see us through. Two hours later, they were only up to number 23...waiting, waiting finally sat down at 1:30 pm! By then, I was thinking these dumplings had better be the most amazing dumplings I have ever tasted.

Fresh Ground Sandwiches & Espresso

Fresh Ground is a great little hotspot in eastern suburbia that has become quite a favourite of mine. I regularly frequent it for a quick weekend lunch. The sandwiches are amazing, packed with fillings and made to order. There's a huge variety of combinations to choose from but I recommend the "No. 1" (chicken, lettuce, cheese, tomato and herb mayo) on turkish or sourdough bread or the "No. 5", which is similar but has chilli mayo and avocado (pictured). Other menu items include salads, freshly squeezed juices and something I've been wanting to try for a while is turkish raisin toast with ricotta, walnuts and honey for breakfast. Maybe next time! I'm a tea drinker but I hear the coffee is pretty amazing here too!

The look and feel of the space is cool and inviting. The walls are covered in beautiful Florence Broadhurst wallpaper and there's a big communal table in the middle. There are also smaller tables dotted about the place. The service is always fantastic! In fact, there was one particular occasion where I wasn't feeling too well and the guy at the counter said "I'll make you a juice that will make you feel better!" How nice! It was a carrot, orange and ginger juice. It was delicious and yes it did make me feel better!

Fresh Ground is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday to Saturday and is located at 154 Belmore Road, Randwick, NSW. Enjoy! Na xo

Hong Kong Egg Pudding

Australia Dairy Co. 47 – 49 Parkes Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong

After our trip to Singapore, Mr Mi and I decided to head over to Hong Kong for a few days. Well, why not? We stayed in the Kowloon district near Yau Ma Tei MTR station and on our first morning decided to head over to a place that one of our friends had recommended to us. We weren’t sure if we were at the right place, but given the long line of people we figured this must be the spot. Do not be deterred by the length of the line as it moves very quickly. In no time at all, we were sitting at a communal table opposite another couple, faced with a non-English menu and a tiny bit concerned as to how or more importantly what we were going to order.

La Bodeguita Del Medio

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a fun cuban bar/restaurant called La Bodeguita Del Medio on York St. in Sydney. The original restaurant was founded in the 1950's in Havana, Cuba and has famously become known as the "Home of the Mojito".  As soon as you walk into the bar, you're hit with the wonderful scent of mint because pretty much everywhere you look, someone is holding a delicious minty mojito. Even Ernest Hemingway pronounced his love for this particular mojito and if it was one of Hemingway's favourites, I had to have one!

Besides the mojitos, the food in the restaurant is also definitely worth the visit. I had the Tamales al horno con Huitlacoche (Baked sweet corn, tomato, chipotle chilli and Mexican truffles) and my boyfriend had the Matambre de Pollo (Free range chicken, cabbage, quinoa fricassee and jamon crumbs). The tamales was served with these crispy bread things. I'm not sure what they were called exactly but they sure were tasty!  The interior of the restaurant is very cool too. The walls are covered in graffiti (in a good way) and there are these massive booths that look so cosy. I'm already thinking about returning for another round of tamales and mojitos! I think I'll round up a few more peeps so we can grab a booth, relax and briefly feel like we're in Cuba. Na xo

Singaporean Black Pepper Crab

Black pepper crab from Long Beach MAIN Singapore.

Mr Mi and I recently visited Singapore and went on a quest to find the best black pepper crab. We were only there for a few days so wanted to make the most of our dining experience. After reading a few restaurant reviews on trip advisor we decided to try out the crab at Long Beach MAIN. I've never had black pepper crab before so have nothing to compare it with, but I thought it was very tasty indeed! Eating crab is always hard work and very messy, once you've managed to crack open the shell and peel it off you are sure to be rewarded with the tender, juicy and tasty flesh inside. I was not disappointed!

 

No meal would be complete without dessert, so we headed down to Chinatown to a place called Mei Heong Yuen Dessert. I ordered the almond and black sesame snow ice (left) and Mr Mi had the watermelon and lychee snow ice (right). I'm not sure how to describe this dessert exactly, I guess it's a mix between ice cream and a snow cone. The layers of snow ice are soft and pillowy, resembling the layers of chocolate in Cadbury flake. I enjoyed it quite a lot, it was nice and light not too filling even though it looks like a huge mountain! We had so many delicious treats in Singapore, far too many to mention here. If you are ever in Singapore be sure to try these places out! Mi xo

Peas Please Part 2

Remember Peas Please cafe which has the cute little vintage souvenir spoons? Well, we came back for a second visit and this time tried out something from the breakfast menu. Mr Mi and I shared an egg, bacon, spinach, parmesan wrap and an egg, mushroom, spinach, pesto wrap. The portion was quite generous and satisfying overall, can't say it's the best breakfast I've ever had but for $12 I'm not really complaining. Still stand by my comment on the coffee, would definitely come back for that...oh and the cute spoons of course. Mi xo

Cafe Sofia

Homemade baked beans with chorizo and sourdough bread.

Toasted bagel with turkey, brie, avocado and cranberry sauce.

My favourite meal of the day is definitely breakfast and to me there is nothing better than going out for a lazy brunch on the weekend. One of my favourite places is Cafe Sofia. The coffee is great, delicious food, generous portions and good value with most meals averaging $12 which is pretty good for an inner city cafe if you ask me. Now I have never been a big fan of baked beans...they seem a bit ordinary to me, but since having them at Cafe Sofia I absolutely love them! I'd also highly recommend the potato hash (side dish) and the potato and haloumi omelette. I love potatoes! Mi xo

Luxe Bakery

Mi and I recently had lunch at a wonderful little bakery in Newtown called Luxe. The sourdough bread here is amazing! Besides bread, they have a great selection of lunch time eats and a wide range of sweeties. We both had two poached eggs, a perfectly toasted slice of sourdough bread and the most delicious, crispiest potato hash. The hash had the right balance of crispy exterior and soft tasty potato interior. Thanks Mi for introducing me to it! After our lunch, we couldn't resist trying out the custard tart and orange flourless cake. I love custard tart and this one was particularly delectable with a crispy pastry shell, smooth custard and a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. The orange flourless cake was lovely and moist as well. Luxe has a really relaxed feel about it, like you're having lunch in someone's home. In fact, I think the building was once a home! The service is really friendly and welcoming too! What more could you ask for? Luxe is open 7 days and can be found at 195 Missenden Rd, Newtown, NSW.  MiNa xo

Peas Please

It's funny how you live in a city for so many years and think you know a place inside out, then unexpectedly a hidden gem pops up out of nowhere. Peas please is such a place. While I haven't tried the food here, the coffee is excellent! Each cup of coffee is served up with a vintage souvenir spoon. So cute! I will have to come back and try the food one day. Mi xo

The Greenhouse

Earlier this month, I found myself on the other side of the country in a little city called Perth. I stumbled upon this fantastic eatery called The Greenhouse. I instantly fell in love with the look, the feel, the food and the concept. It's a wonderful project that is based on the idea of sustainability. They have thought of everything from where their food is sourced to the building materials used, in order to minimise their ecological footprint. The building is made from recyclable materials and the first thing you notice is...it's covered in pot plants! Covered! When you walk inside, you instantly feel like you're in a good place. The service is so warm and welcoming and if you venture upstairs there's a cocktail bar surrounded by a vegetable garden!

Over my time in Perth I frequented the Greenhouse and had delicious fresh pasta, home-made lemonade (I THINK it was made with honey instead of sugar. Genius!) and creative cocktails served in jam jars! Na xo

The Tea Room

I am a tea drinker. Always have been and always will be. It's not that I dislike the taste of coffee, it's just that it doesn't give me that comforting feeling that tea does. Everyone knows that there is a slight social stigma attached to being a non-coffee drinker but that's fine with me, I'm sticking with my love for tea!

The ultimate tea drinking experience can be found at The Tea Room at the Queen Victoria Building. This place is very proper and sophisticated so no thongs/flip flops! It is located in what was once the Grand Ballroom of the QVB. It offers the best selection of fine teas from around the world and no high tea would be complete without a wide range of sweet and savoury treats to nibble on. So relax, sip your tea, eat your cucumber sandwiches and don't forget to extend your  pinky! Na xo 

Gelato Messina

The first thing I have to say is, I did not make this! Nor could I even imagine making this! The mushroom top is made of a rich dark chocolate gelato with a peanut butter surprise in the centre. This sits on a vanilla gelato base and the "grass" is made from popping candy! Amazing! This adorable mini creation and many more can be found at Gelato Messina in Darlinghurst. If you consider all the work that goes into making this, it's definitely worth the $10 it costs.

I can't wait to go back and try the mini gelato cheeseburger complete with a fried egg and dripping tomato sauce! Na xo